Nature – Arzeno-Soltero et al. (2023): Large global variations in the carbon dioxide removal potential of seaweed farming due to biophysical constraints

Isabella B. Arzeno-Soltero, Benjamin T. Saenz, Christina A. Frieder, Matthew C. Long, Julianne DeAngelo, Steven J. Davis, Kristen A. Davis IN: Commun Earth Environ 4, 18, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00833-2

The authors apply a dynamic seaweed growth model that includes growth-limiting mechanisms, such as nitrate supply, to estimate the global potential yield of four types of seaweed. They estimate that harvesting 1 Gt year−1 of seaweed carbon would require farming over 1 million km2 of the most productive exclusive economic zones, located in the equatorial Pacific; the cultivation area would need to be tripled to attain an additional 1 Gt year−1 of harvested carbon, indicating dramatic reductions in carbon harvest efficiency beyond the most productive waters.

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