Suessle et al. (2026): Ocean alkalinity enhancement reduces silica ballasting during export due to amplified dissolution
Philipp Suessle, Kai Georg Schulz, Joana Barcelos e Ramos, Nico Manuel Sievers, Julieta Schneider, Juliane Katharina Tammen, Leila Kittu, Laura Marín-Samper, and Ulf Riebesell, IN: EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1300
Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a carbon dioxide removal technology (CDR) proposed to store carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the ocean on human-relevant time scales. However, depending on OAE intensity, resulting shifts in seawater carbonate chemistry speciation could alter community-driven biomass build-up, particulate stoichiometry, and transformation during particle export. Using mesocosms in the eutrophic North Sea (Helgoland, Germany), the authors established six alkalinity levels under two dilution scenarios (localized vs. uniform OAE additions) for 39 days.