OceanAlkalinityEnhancement(OAE)

Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) involves adding alkaline substances like olivine, limestone, or quicklime to seawater to increase its pH and enhance its capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. This process mimics natural weathering, where rocks dissolve and release alkalinity into rivers that flow to the ocean, and is based on the ocean's natural carbon pump mechanisms. Research initiatives like the UK's OAE research program and Project Vesta are actively exploring its feasibility and impacts. OAE is largely in the advanced research and small-scale field trial stage, focusing on understanding efficacy and potential ecological side effects; recent studies, such as those by the University of Exeter published in Nature in 2023, have shown promising lab results on CO2 uptake rates using various mineral additions. This approach differs from direct ocean injection of CO2 by enhancing the ocean's natural ability to store carbon in a stable bicarbonate form.