Ocean Alk-Align: an international research project to assess the potential of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement for marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

Of the various marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies proposed to date, ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) has, arguably, the largest carbon removal potential. OAE has several advantages over other approaches: it does not compete for nutrient use, it is applicable to large regions of the coastal and open ocean, it can mitigate ocean acidification, and it has a high potential for permanence. Consequently, a growing number of private-sector innovators are actively pursuing OAE, leading to the potential risk that independent, non-profit-oriented research will fall behind in providing a balanced assessment of OAE.

The Ocean Alk-Align project is a multi-year research effort involving an international consortium of researchers from Canada, Germany, and Australia. The project seeks to increase knowledge on three key research topics essential for OAE implementation: (1) efficiency and durability of CO₂ removal; (2) environmental safety; (3) monitoring and verification. This will be done through the development and application of state-of-the-art experimental research, real-world observations, and near-field to Earth system modeling.

The Ocean Alk-Align project will use a multi-scale combination of laboratory and field experimentation in addition to turbulent-, regional-, and large-scale modelling. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing and planned activities as well as some early results.