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pnnl.gov
official
https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/fertilizing-ocean-store-carbon-dioxide
## Fertilizing the Ocean to Store Carbon Dioxide. *Iron-based fertilizer, engineered into nanoparticles, could help store excess carbon dioxide in the ocean*. *Seeding the oceans with nano-scale fertilizers could create a much-needed, substantial carbon sink.*. The urgent need to remove excess carbon dioxide from Earth’s environment could include enlisting some of our planet’s smallest inhabitants, according to an international research team led by Michael Hochella of the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Hochella and his colleagues examined the scientific evidence for seeding the oceans with iron-rich engineered fertilizer particles near ocean plankton. We can learn to fertilize the oceans responsibly.”. In nature, nutrients from the land reach oceans through rivers and blowing dust to fertilize plankton. The research team proposes moving this natural process one step further to help remove excess CO2 through the ocean. They studied evidence that suggests adding specific combinations of carefully engineered materials could effectively fertilize the oceans, encouraging phytoplankton to act as a carbon sink.
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edf.org
article
https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/documents/Ocean%20Fertilization.pdf
Page 9 OCEAN CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL METHODS NRDC EDF OCEAN CONSERVANCY Ocean Fertilization: At a Glance Marine plants and algae, like phytoplankton, take up CO2 during photosynthesis, and this can increase the ocean’s uptake of atmospheric CO2. 42 Technical Readiness: OF experiments using iron in the 1990s and 2000s confirmed that fertilization does induce phytoplankton blooms and carbon capture, but scientists found that only some of these blooms led to longer-term carbon storage or atmospheric CO2 drawdown beyond already naturally occurring processes. 49 Page 10 OCEAN CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL METHODS NRDC EDF OCEAN CONSERVANCY 36 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (hereinafter NASEM), A Research Strategy for Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration (Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2022), https://doi.org/10.17226/26278.
D
drawdown.org
article
https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-ocean-fertilization
As a carbon removal technique, ocean fertilization requires that the nutrient addition enhances phytoplankton uptake of seawater CO₂ and
F
frontiersin.org
research
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/climate/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1430…
There are many potential approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), of which ocean iron fertilization (OIF) has the longest history of study. There are many different approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), of which ocean iron fertilization (OIF) has the longest history of study and field testing (NASEM, 2022). By then, we would have determined the most efficient and bioavailable forms of iron and delivery systems, and expanded the use of AVs for iron delivery, with improved MRV and eMRV to establish OIFOs. These operational improvements in Phase I will make working in other sites more efficient and cost effective as we move to significantly more challenging settings such as the Southern Ocean, where the high nutrient concentrations increase the potential for OIF to impact global atmospheric CO2 removal.
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naturetechcollective.org
article
https://www.naturetechcollective.org/stories/ocean-iron-fertilization-a-promi…
# Ocean Iron Fertilization: A Promising Path for Carbon Removal? As a marine radiochemist and the director of the non-profit Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS), Dr. Buesseler shared insights on how adding small amounts of iron to the ocean could amplify its natural ability to store carbon, the potential impacts on marine ecosystems, and the path toward responsible research. When scientists compared different climate models' predictions of natural carbon flux in the ocean, the estimates ranged from 5 to 12 billion tons per year. Every marine carbon dioxide removal approach, whether it involves adding minerals, growing seaweed, or fertilizing with iron, will change ocean conditions. We need roughly 5 to 10 billion tons per year of carbon dioxide removal alongside dramatic emissions reductions to address climate change. Ocean iron fertilization might contribute 1 to 2 billion tons annually if deployed widely, though much more research is needed to confirm these estimates and assess full-scale impacts.
N
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
official
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK580042/
Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (ocean CDR) via nutrient fertilization refers to the addition of micronutrients (e.g., iron [Fe]) and/or macronutrients
W
whoi.edu
research
https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/climate-weather/ocean-ba…
Iron fertilization is a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique that would artificially add iron to the ocean’s surface to stimulate growth of phytoplankton. When the plume of dust or ash settles over the ocean’s surface, it triggers massive blooms of phytoplankton that remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Iron fertilization is a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique that would mimic this natural system, artificially adding iron to the ocean’s surface to stimulate growth of phytoplankton. If relatively small amounts of iron can be added to the ocean’s surface to effectively remove large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, iron fertilization has the potential to play a pivotal role in reducing additional impacts associated with climate change. Until experiments are done to test these potential outcomes and determine how much carbon can be sequestered in the ocean depths, iron fertilization should not be put to use as a method of slowing climate change. ### Fertilizing the Ocean with Iron.
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climateworks.org
article
https://www.climateworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ClimateWorks-ocean-CD…
https://energyfuturesinitiative.org/efi-reports Best guess drawdown potential* Environmental impacts Cost considerations • Moderate to High: 1 to >5 Gt CO2 per year • Space is not limited for offshore cultivation • Pathways for biomass use are underdeveloped • Co-benefit of boosting seafood production and potentially local biodiversity • Nutrient competition with the local ecosystem • Risk of material loss, entanglement of marine life • Biosecurity risks (disease, genetic mixing, invasive species) • Moderate: $25-$125 per ton CO2 removed • New infrastructure required for offshore environment • CDR products and economies of scale do not currently exist ClimateWorks Foundation Artificial Upwelling: Moderate CDR potential despite many uncertainties, but could have important co-benefits for seafood production Ocean Sequestration 17 Best guess drawdown potential Environmental impacts Cost considerations • Moderate: 1 to 5 Gt CO2 per year • Field trial show boost in phytoplankton blooms but carbon drawdown remains uncertain • Upwelling also releases CO2 to the atmosphere • Low to Moderate: <$125 per ton CO2 removed • Highly dependent on pumping methods, operational costs, and monitoring needs Source: www.OceanCDR.net; EFI 2020.