AmericaEnvironmentalists and fishermen are protesting a plan by a group of scientists to dump nearly 273,000 liters of sodium hydroxide into Cape Cod Bay to reduce climate change.
Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth are seeking permits to begin a project to dump 30,000 liters of chemicals about 10 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, expected to begin this summer, according to Phys.org. The Woods Hole Institute’s LOC-NESS project focuses on two main goals.
The first objective is to investigate the potential environmental impacts of increasing the alkalinity of seawater to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The second objective is to test and report how much CO2 could be removed using this method if deployed on a large scale.
“While emissions reductions are key to reducing human impacts on Earth’s climate, it has become clear in recent years that emissions cuts need to be complemented by removing carbon dioxide from the air,” said the Woods Hole scientists.
Environmentalists and fishermen are not in favor of the experiment, which is scheduled to continue next summer on a much larger scale, dumping about 272,765 liters of chemicals into the waters northeast of Provincetown in the Gulf of Maine.
Friends of the Earth is one of dozens of organizations that have written to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oppose the project. They say ocean alkalinity enhancement, the process of adding alkaline compounds to seawater to change the ocean’s pH and natural carbon-absorbing capacity, is inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity due to the risks and uncertainties associated with the technology for biodiversity and ecosystems.
According to Friends of the Earth campaigner Benjamin Day, sodium hydroxide is an extremely dangerous compound. It causes chemical burns if it comes into contact with human or marine animal skin. Alkalinity-raising operations typically use minerals such as limestone, which creates a host of other problems. But sodium hydroxide poses more immediate problems. Fishermen in the area also fear the experiment could affect their catch.
Woods Hole scientists say the project will operate within a pH range safe for aquatic life and will adhere to strict environmental monitoring regulations. They will regularly monitor alkalinity using specialized kits, sensors and sampling equipment. The results will provide the first in-country measurements of the safety of the method, including impacts on water chemistry, the marine food web and macroorganisms. The project is essential to understanding the impact of removing carbon dioxide with seawater, said Alison Brizius, director of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Authority.