Acidification modeling tools used to evaluate mCDR’s potential to alleviate effects of changing seawater chemistry

SCCWRP and its partners have successfully applied coastal ocean modeling tools to study the potential of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) technology to both reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and simultaneously elevate pH conditions in Southern California coastal waters.

The modeling study, completed in August, represents a key demonstration for how to apply the ROMS-BEC (Regional Ocean Modeling System + Biogeochemical Elemental Cycling) modeling system – which was originally used to predict the trajectory of OA and hypoxia along the West Coast – to also evaluate potential solutions for offsetting atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Researchers assessed whether an experimental, renewable-energy technology known as direct ocean capture and carbon storage (DOCCS), if it were to be scaled and deployed across Southern California coastal waters, could elevate pH conditions in surface waters across the region – a change that researchers hope could help offset the effects of coastal ocean acidification. The field-deployable DOCCS instrument that was the focus of the study uses electrodialysis technology to directly capture and remove carbon dioxide from seawater, enabling the ocean to naturally draw down more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to rebalance.

The modeling work serves as an initial, proof-of-concept study that can help inform future potential DOCCS deployment planning and siting decisions.