Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification
The equilibration of rising atmospheric CO 2 with the ocean is lowering pH in tropical waters by about 0.01 every decade. Coral reefs and the ecosystems they support are regarded as one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to ocean acidification, threatening their long-term viability. In response to th...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:118105 2023-05-15T17:49:37+02:00 Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification Mongin, M Baird, ME Hadley, S Lenton, A 2016 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105 en eng Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd. http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105/1/118105 - Mongin_2016_Environ._Res._Lett._11_034023.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 Mongin, M and Baird, ME and Hadley, S and Lenton, A, Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification, Environmental Research Letters, 11, (3) Article 034023. ISSN 1748-9326 (2016) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105 Earth Sciences Oceanography Chemical Oceanography Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2016 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 2019-12-13T22:17:30Z The equilibration of rising atmospheric CO 2 with the ocean is lowering pH in tropical waters by about 0.01 every decade. Coral reefs and the ecosystems they support are regarded as one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to ocean acidification, threatening their long-term viability. In response to this threat, different strategies for buffering the impact of ocean acidification have been proposed. As the pH experienced by individual corals on a natural reef system depends on many processes over different time scales, the efficacy of these buffering strategies remains largely unknown. Here we assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of a reef-scale (a few kilometers) carbon removal strategy, through the addition of seaweed (fleshy multicellular algae) farms within the Great Barrier Reef at the Heron Island reef. First, using diagnostic time-dependent age tracers in a hydrodynamic model, we determine the optimal location and size of the seaweed farm. Secondly, we analytically calculate the optimal density of the seaweed and harvesting strategy, finding, for the seaweed growth parameters used, a biomass of 42gNm -2 with a harvesting rate of up 3.2gNm -2 d -1 maximises the carbon sequestration and removal. Numerical experiments show that an optimally located 1.9km 2 farm and optimally harvested seaweed (removing biomass above 42gNm -2 every 7d) increased aragonite saturation by 0.1 over 24km 2 of the Heron Island reef. Thus, the most effective seaweed farm can only delay the impacts of global ocean acidification at the reef scale by 7-21 years, depending on future global carbon emissions. Our results highlight that only a kilometer-scale farm can partially mitigate global ocean acidification for a particular reef. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ocean acidification eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Heron Island ENVELOPE(-112.719,-112.719,58.384,58.384) Environmental Research Letters 11 3 034023 |
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Open Polar |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Chemical Oceanography |
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Earth Sciences Oceanography Chemical Oceanography Mongin, M Baird, ME Hadley, S Lenton, A Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
topic_facet |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Chemical Oceanography |
description |
The equilibration of rising atmospheric CO 2 with the ocean is lowering pH in tropical waters by about 0.01 every decade. Coral reefs and the ecosystems they support are regarded as one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to ocean acidification, threatening their long-term viability. In response to this threat, different strategies for buffering the impact of ocean acidification have been proposed. As the pH experienced by individual corals on a natural reef system depends on many processes over different time scales, the efficacy of these buffering strategies remains largely unknown. Here we assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of a reef-scale (a few kilometers) carbon removal strategy, through the addition of seaweed (fleshy multicellular algae) farms within the Great Barrier Reef at the Heron Island reef. First, using diagnostic time-dependent age tracers in a hydrodynamic model, we determine the optimal location and size of the seaweed farm. Secondly, we analytically calculate the optimal density of the seaweed and harvesting strategy, finding, for the seaweed growth parameters used, a biomass of 42gNm -2 with a harvesting rate of up 3.2gNm -2 d -1 maximises the carbon sequestration and removal. Numerical experiments show that an optimally located 1.9km 2 farm and optimally harvested seaweed (removing biomass above 42gNm -2 every 7d) increased aragonite saturation by 0.1 over 24km 2 of the Heron Island reef. Thus, the most effective seaweed farm can only delay the impacts of global ocean acidification at the reef scale by 7-21 years, depending on future global carbon emissions. Our results highlight that only a kilometer-scale farm can partially mitigate global ocean acidification for a particular reef. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mongin, M Baird, ME Hadley, S Lenton, A |
author_facet |
Mongin, M Baird, ME Hadley, S Lenton, A |
author_sort |
Mongin, M |
title |
Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
title_short |
Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
title_full |
Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
title_fullStr |
Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
title_full_unstemmed |
Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
title_sort |
optimising reef-scale co2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification |
publisher |
Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd. |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-112.719,-112.719,58.384,58.384) |
geographic |
Heron Island |
geographic_facet |
Heron Island |
genre |
Ocean acidification |
genre_facet |
Ocean acidification |
op_relation |
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105/1/118105 - Mongin_2016_Environ._Res._Lett._11_034023.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 Mongin, M and Baird, ME and Hadley, S and Lenton, A, Optimising reef-scale CO2 removal by seaweed to buffer ocean acidification, Environmental Research Letters, 11, (3) Article 034023. ISSN 1748-9326 (2016) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118105 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034023 |
container_title |
Environmental Research Letters |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
034023 |
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1766156011496800256 |