Next steps for assessing ocean iron fertilization for marine carbon dioxide removal

Authors

Ken O. Buesseler, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Daniele Bianchi, University of California, Los Angeles
Fei Chai, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science
Jay T. Cullen, University of Victoria
Margaret Estapa, University of Maine
Nicholas Hawco, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Seth John, University of Southern California
Dennis J. McGillicuddy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Paul J. Morris, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Sara Nawaz, American University
Nishioka, Hokkaido University
Anh Pham, University of California, Los Angeles
Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
David A. Siegel, University of California, Santa Barbara
Sarah R. Smith, San Jose State UniversityFollow
Deborah Steinberg, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Kendra A. Turk-Kubo, University of California, Santa Cruz
Benjamin S. Twining, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Romany M. Webb, Columbia University

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Frontiers in Climate

Volume

6

DOI

10.3389/fclim.2024.1430957

Abstract

There are many potential approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), of which ocean iron fertilization (OIF) has the longest history of study. However, OIF studies to date were not primarily designed to quantify the durability of carbon (C) storage, nor how wise OIF might be as an mCDR approach. To quantify C sequestration, we introduce a metric called the “centennial tonne,” defined as 1,000 kg of C isolated from atmospheric contact for on average at least 100 years. We present the activities needed to assess OIF from a scientific and technological perspective, and additionally, how it might be responsibly studied and potentially deployed. The five activities include: field studies in the Northeast Pacific; improved modeling for field studies, data assimilation and predictions at larger scales; improvements in monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) for C, and also MRV for tracking ecological and environmental impacts; and developing new iron sources and their delivery, to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. The fifth activity is to understand whether public and community support exists for OIF, and what governance structures might support further research and possible deployment of OIF. This article is written by a multidisciplinary experts group called Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS) that is organized around a responsible code of conduct. Of the mCDR approaches, OIF has the potential to be low cost, scalable, and rapidly deployable. Reducing CO2 emissions must lead the way, but there is also an urgency to decide under what conditions and whether OIF might be deployed or not.

Funding Sponsor

San José State University

Keywords

carbon sequestration, centennial tonne, climate ethics, ecological environmental monitoring reporting and verification, exploring ocean iron solutions, marine carbon dioxide removal, monitoring reporting and verification, ocean iron fertilization

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Recommended Citation

Ken O. Buesseler, Daniele Bianchi, Fei Chai, Jay T. Cullen, Margaret Estapa, Nicholas Hawco, Seth John, Dennis J. McGillicuddy, Paul J. Morris, Sara Nawaz, Nishioka, Anh Pham, Kilaparti Ramakrishna, David A. Siegel, Sarah R. Smith, Deborah Steinberg, Kendra A. Turk-Kubo, Benjamin S. Twining, and Romany M. Webb. "Next steps for assessing ocean iron fertilization for marine carbon dioxide removal" Frontiers in Climate (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1430957