Scientists pump tonnes of chemicals into ocean to stop global warming

"The oceans already hold around 38,000 billion tonnes of CO2, trapped as dissolved sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda. The geoengineering method known as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) aims to speed up this natural process by resetting the ocean's pH. Over four days, scientists added vast quantities of sodium hydroxide - an alkaline chemical tagged with a red dye - to the waters off the coast of Boston."

"Without an 'antacid' like sodium hydroxide to react with, CO2 dissolving in the oceans forms a mild acid that has slowly but surely reduced the pH level. This is already having catastrophic effects on sea life, as the acid dissolves marine creatures' shells, damages coral, and even wears away sharks' teeth."

"Gareth Cunningham, Director of Conservation and Policy at the Marine Conservation Society, told the Daily Mail: 'These approaches are resource-intensive and their ecological impacts are still poorly understood.' For years, scientists have put forward OAE as one of the leading potential solutions to climate change."

Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) is a geoengineering method designed to combat climate change by making oceans more alkaline to absorb additional atmospheric CO2. In August, scientists conducted the LOC-NESS project, adding 65,000 litres of sodium hydroxide to Gulf of Maine waters off Boston's coast. The oceans currently contain approximately 38,000 billion tonnes of CO2 as dissolved sodium bicarbonate. Ocean acidification from dissolved CO2 damages marine ecosystems by dissolving shells, harming coral, and eroding shark teeth. While OAE theoretically addresses both excess atmospheric CO2 and ocean acidification simultaneously, conservation experts warn that ecological impacts remain poorly understood and these approaches are resource-intensive.

Read at Mail Online