Alkalinity enhancement in the ocean mimics the natural process of rock weathering, which has helped to stabilize the Earth's climate over the past billions of years. Now, however, the carbon dioxide input caused by humans is about a hundred times too fast to be balanced by natural weathering.
The direct addition of alkaline minerals to the sea has the same effect: the pH value rises and the CO2 concentration in the surface ocean decreases as a result. As the ocean and atmosphere strive to balance each other out, more CO₂ is transported from the atmosphere into the ocean. Alkalinity enhancement is considered a promising CDR (carbon dioxide removal) measure, both in terms of its potential and concrete feasibility.
In the RETAKE and OCEAN ALK-ALIGN projects, we are investigating the effects of alkalinization on the pelagic biocoenosis and the consequences for the pelagic biogeochemistry.
