As the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions becomes increasingly urgent, there is also a consensus on the necessity of removing CO2 already present in the atmosphere. Given the ocean’s immense capacity for carbon storage, it is a critical area of focus for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). One promising method is OIF (ocean iron fertilization), which aims to accelerate natural processes that sequester CO2 in the ocean.
Several leading scientific organizations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, have identified OIF as an emerging solution for climate change. More than 400 scientists have called for expanded research into mCDR, emphasizing the ocean’s vital role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Governments worldwide have also invested tens of millions of dollars into ocean-climate solutions, urging further exploration of the ocean’s role in climate mitigation.
A recent article in Frontiers in Climate, titled “Next steps for assessing ocean iron fertilization for marine carbon dioxide removal,” outlines a comprehensive plan to evaluate OIF. According to Ken Buesseler, Executive Director of Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS), this is the first unified effort in over a decade by the marine scientific community to develop a focused research plan on OIF.
OIF works by adding small amounts of iron, a crucial micronutrient, to the ocean’s surface, which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton. These microscopic plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis, and when they die, some of the carbon is transported to the deep ocean, where it can be stored long-term. Although iron naturally enters the ocean through processes like volcanic eruptions, OIF accelerates this process, potentially enhancing the ocean’s ability to sequester CO2.
Given the ocean’s vast capacity for carbon storage—much greater than the atmosphere or land-based systems—enhancing this natural process could offer a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. However, despite the potential of OIF, research gaps remain. Past open-ocean experiments have been limited in scale and duration, leaving uncertainties about the effectiveness and environmental impacts of this method.
The new research plan calls for larger, longer-term field experiments to evaluate the efficacy and scalability of OIF. These studies will be conducted in the northeast Pacific Ocean and will involve advanced modeling to predict the regional and global impacts of the method. Researchers will also explore various iron delivery techniques, monitoring carbon sequestration, and studying the ecological effects of increased iron in the ocean.
Public engagement and governance are also central to the plan, as it is essential to involve historically excluded communities in discussions about the responsible implementation of OIF. The researchers stress the need for transparency and peer review to ensure that OIF is thoroughly evaluated before large-scale implementation.
In conclusion, OIF presents a promising yet unproven method for marine carbon dioxide removal. As the climate crisis intensifies, further research and careful study will be necessary to determine whether OIF can play a significant role in global climate mitigation strategies.
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-case-adding-iron-ocean-carbon.html