Research efforts in the northeastern United States are exploring marine carbon dioxide removal as a potential tool to address ocean acidification and climate change. Adam Subhas, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, heads the LOC-NESS project, which investigates ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) as a method to increase seawater’s capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon. The technique involves dispersing alkaline materials across ocean areas to encourage greater carbon uptake.
Investment in marine carbon removal has accelerated significantly in recent years. According to tracking data from the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Carbon Removal Watch database, more than £370 million has been invested in the sector over the past five years. Federal support for such research increased substantially in 2023, with at least £44 million allocated to field trials. However, recent federal science funding cuts have left LOC-NESS as one of the few remaining major US ocean carbon removal projects receiving government backing.
Last summer, Subhas’s team conducted a field trial in the Gulf of Maine’s Wilkinson Basin, approximately 40 miles offshore from Boston. Researchers dispersed roughly 65,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the ocean and tracked its behavior using a fleet of vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles, and satellite monitoring systems. The highly alkaline solution was mixed with a red dye to facilitate tracking by sensors. The team successfully measured carbon uptake signals, demonstrating that alkalinity enhancement can be monitored and modeled effectively in open ocean environments.
The research has expanded to examine how marine organisms respond to altered alkalinity levels. Initial studies focused on species at the base of the food web, such as phytoplankton, and now include lobsters. This biological component aims to understand potential impacts on shellfish and other marine life. Researchers emphasize that such approaches should complement, rather than replace, large-scale emissions reductions necessary to meet climate goals outlined in the 2016 Paris Agreement.
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