Removal of CO2 in the ocean

[GeorgeSmith007]

Hey so, I have just found this forum because I wanted to express this (maybe silly and flawed) idea that I had to maybe find a way of reducing the amount of atmospheric CO2 we have, to try and help to solve the ever growing problem of climate change.

 

I have been researching ways we could reduce atmospheric CO2, such as thermal decomposition, however this requires a temperature of about 1300 degrees C, which would probably mean using more greenhouse gases to use the process than it does removing it.

 

An idea which I had, would be to remove the CO2 that is in the ocean. I researched this a little bit, and there is a company which does this with a product called Liquicel, a product used at commercial level for who knows what purposes. However, if we used this on a large scale on the ocean, we could disrupt the equilibrium of atmospheric CO2 to that of CO2 in the ocean, and cause the sea to (un-scientific word alert) "suck up" more of the CO2 that is in the atmosphere, at least quicker than it already this.

 

Not only could this help the problem of global warming, but it also could reduce the acidity of the sea also, and restore it back to normal levels to help organisms in the ocean to survive.

 

Now, I'm sure there are many flaws with this, but I would like to see what they are. Having not even completed my chemistry GCSE course yet, I'm intrigued to know what more qualified people would think!

[Sensei]

that I had to maybe find a way of reducing the amount of atmospheric CO2 we have,

 

Solution is easier than anyone can think: simply plant more plants..

[zapatos]

 

Solution is easier than anyone can think: simply plant more plants..

How many plants are part of this easy solution?

[studiot]

 

Sensei

Solution is easier than anyone can think: simply plant more plants..

 

Zapatos

How many plants are part of this easy solution?

 

 

 

Not more plants but bigger plants!

 

[iNow]

Zapatos' entirely valid question remains unanswered.

[Sensei]

How many plants are part of this easy solution?

 

Trees.

One pine has mass between 1,000 to 10,000 kg. If I estimated correctly. Diameter 1-1.5 m, height 30-35 m, density 530 kg/m³. After 90 years height 35 m or so (0.4 m/y grow).

 

 

 

If each human would buy and plant one pine per year,

cost $4.7 per each pine black (up to 50 m height)

cost $2.7 per each pine scots (up to 35 m height)

it'd be 7 bln trees per year.

 

After 24 years, there would be 34 bln tons of CO₂ less in atmosphere.

 

According to Internet in 2011 humans released 34 bln tons of CO₂.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Sensei

[zapatos]

I appreciate the effort you put into those calculations, but unless I'm mistaken you have shown that 'planting more plants' is not a solution to the growing problem of climate change, much less an easy one.

[StringJunky]

The colder oceans continuously upwell nutrients to the surface for carbon dioxide consuming organisms to utilise the gases absorbed from the atmosphere. They in the process release dimethysulphide gas, the molecules of which act as cloud-condensation nuclei. These eventually condense to form rain clouds, thus indirectly helping to reduce solar absorption as well as directly contributing to carbon dioxide reduction.

 

Link: Oceanic phytoplankton, atmospheric sulphur, cloud albedo and climate

 

This upwelling of nutrients is a function of water temperature and thermoclines. When the upper water layers gets too warm a thermocline is created causing the upwelling to cease: the algae drastically reduce in number due to the lack of nutrients.

 

If we could increase the amount of sea area that has sufficient nutrients to sustain a larger number of continuous populations of marine algae we could better mitigate the effects of CO2 and greenhouse warming. IIRC the southerly Atlantic has an algael bloom for part of the year then the water gets too warm and the upwelling ceases. Is there not any viable way of mechanically raising the sediment and allowing it to disperse in the upper layers to keep the algae going?

 

Bright green areas in this map have high biological activity:

 

 

http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/12/important-organism/

 

70-80% of the world's oxygen comes from marine algae ...that's a lot of carbon dioxide absorption. If only we could make those blue bits in the map look green...