Alkalinity enhancement with sodium hydroxide in coastal ocean waters.

ABSTRACT: Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is increasingly recognised as essential for achieving net zero emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) presents a potentially scalable marine CDR (mCDR) technique. Here we report on the first OAE field trial in Australia, conducted at a coastal site in Tasmania using continuous addition of aqueous sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The resulting plume of modified seawater was effectively tracked, and changes in surface carbonate chemistry were quantified using a containerised laboratory. At the point of NaOH release, partial pressure of CO[Formula: see text] (pCO[Formula: see text]) decreased by up to 370 μatm with alkalinity increasing by approximately 545 μmol kg[Formula: see text]. Maximum downstream decreases in pCO[Formul

SUBMITTER: Wynn-Edwards CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12804671 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature