Call for projects: Ocean alkalinity enhancement – potential impacts on marine life and on society
Deadline for pre-application form submission: 2 May 2023
Deadline for full application submission: 25 May 2023
The Ocean Acidification and other ocean Changes – Impacts and Solutions (OACIS) Initiative launches its second call for research projects on the potential biological and/or socio-economic and legal impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement. This information is crucially lacking for making informed policy decisions.
Far from being just a victim of climate change, the ocean can also be part of the solution. A range of ocean-based measures have been proposed to counter the effects of climate change on the ocean, such as the development of marine renewable energy or the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, seagrass beds, etc.). Another group of measures involve the active manipulation of Earth’s systems, such as ocean fertilization to increase carbon uptake by marine plankton, or ocean alkalinity enhancement: adding alkaline material to promote CO2 uptake and long-term carbon storage in a chemically neutral form. To date there are few studies on the impact that these types of measures might have on marine life, the governance around their implementation, and potential legal and socio-economic consequences.
While the chemical consequences of ocean alkalinity enhancement are relatively well known, many questions remain regarding technical implementation, cost effectiveness, legal aspects, and potential impacts on marine life. Despite its high potential effectiveness, this method is therefore considered a measure at concept stage.
This call for projects aims to promote the science needed to advance our understanding about the biological and ecological impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement and/or potential socio-economic consequences.
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Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, 12 April 2023, More information.
