Testing the waters: can pumping chemicals into the ocean help stop global heating?

In August, scientists conducted an experiment in the Gulf of Maine to test ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) as a method to combat global heating and ocean acidification. The research team, led by Adam Subhas, released 65,000 liters of sodium hydroxide, an alkaline chemical, into the ocean 50 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. The goal was to increase the ocean's alkalinity, enabling it to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Initial findings from the Loc-ess project indicated that the experiment successfully increased local pH levels to preindustrial levels and resulted in the absorption of up to 10 tonnes of carbon, with no significant harm observed to plankton, fish, and lobster larvae. The study, overseen by the EPA and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, aims to explore OAE's potential to prevent global temperatures from exceeding 2C above preindustrial levels.

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