Guo et al. (2024): Influence of ocean alkalinity enhancement with olivine or steel slag on a coastal plankton community in Tasmania

Jiaying A. Guo, Robert F. Strzepek, Kerrie M. Swadling, Ashley T. Townsend, Lennart T. Bach IN: Biogeosciences 21, 2335-2354, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2335-2024

Ocean alkalinity enhancement aims to increase atmospheric CO₂ sequestration in the oceans through the acceleration of chemical rock weathering. This could be achieved by grinding rocks containing alkaline minerals and adding the rock powder to the surface ocean where it dissolves and chemically locks CO₂ in seawater as bicarbonate. However, CO₂ sequestration during dissolution coincides with the release of potentially bioactive chemicals and may induce side effects. Here, we used 53 L microcosms to test how coastal plankton communities from Tasmania respond to OAE with olivine (mainly Mg₂SiO₄) or steel slag (mainly CaO and Ca(OH)₂) as alkalinity sources.

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