coral reef interventions- Ashlyn Hancock
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Arizona State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
181
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by JusticeComputer5022
Coral reef interventions- Ashlyn Hancock
Alkalinization of ocean water (reverse ocean acidification)
A. Explain the rationale of the intervention:
1. Principle of application
-
Ocean alkalinization enhancement is the idea of spreading finely ground alkaline
substances (including minerals like olivine or lime) over the open ocean, adding alkaline
sand or gravel on beaches or coastlines, and/ or reacting seawater with alkaline minerals
inside specialized fuel cells before releasing it back into the ocean.
2. How does it mitigate or protect or repair or adapt?
-
It offsets the effects of ocean acidification by increasing pH levels and neutralizing the
CO2 build up in the water.
-
Adding alkalinity to the ocean removes CO2 from the atmosphere through chemical
reactions that convert dissolved CO2 into stable bicarbonate and carbonate molecules,
which allows the ocean to absorb more CO2 from the air and restore the equilibrium.
B.State of development, feasibility, scalability
3. Is it just an idea or has testing been applied in the lab and / or in the field or is it even in use
already?
-
Research on ocean alkalinization is mostly at the level of theoretical work with several
laboratory experiments and a few coastal experiments in development at small scale
areas.
4. If not yet used in the field, how feasible do you think it is?
-
I think it is pretty feasible but it does require several steps that can make it more
complicated before it is applied into the ocean as minerals would have to be mined,
crushed, transported, and spread across beaches or loaded into ships and then
dispersed into the ocean directly. It might also require several ships to monitor it and
make sure it isn’t doing more harm than good to the marine ecosystems.
5. If feasible, how scalable do you think it is (just in a very small area or in a large area)?
-
In theory it has the possibility to cover large scale areas as ships can easily move
around the ocean adding alkaline minerals directly to the water but a few studies have
shown that high doses of alkaline can have negative effects on certain marine
ecosystems meaning that identifying specific locations were alkalinity enhancement
would be most effective and least damaging would be more beneficial then covering the
entire ocean.
C.Benefits vs risks
6. How effective is the intervention? Does it have long-term benefits?
-
Ocean alkalinity enhancement would remove CO2 from the atmosphere and keep it in
the ocean, directly counteracting ocean acidification making it a very effective
intervention.
-
It would also increase the saturation state of carbonate minerals, which would positively
impact carbonate-producing organisms like shellfish and corals.
-
In the long run it would help reverse the effects of global warming and keep the
temperature from rising as quickly as they are now.
7. What are potential negative side effects (risks)?
-
Alkaline materials have small amounts of heavy metals that could accumulate in marine
food chains.
-
A study showed that high doses of alkaline appear to inhibit the growth of plankton,
which causes them to take up less carbon than usual, this could be the case for many
other organisms.
-
Using minerals like olivine would release iron and silica into the water, which could
fertilize the ocean and has uncertain effects.
-
Ocean alkalinization requires mining and processing of raw materials which raises
environmental and health concerns.
-
It also will use a significant amount of energy resources as well as cost a lot of money to
do so.
8. Do you see potential for conflict of local stakeholders (=users), if the intervention would be
applied? If so, what would be the people's concern?
-
I think people will be concerned with the fact that some solutions to solve ocean
acidification require a lot more mining and processing of minerals and that is already a
global issue in conservation as it raises environmental and health concerns. I think a
conflict might also arise from how much materials, energy, and money it is going to take
to put ocean alkalization enhancement into action.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help