Eugene S. Takle
© 2001
One alternative strategy for disposal of CO2 from power plants or other major sources is to bury it deep in the ocean rather than release it to the atmosphere, as is now done. Seibel and Walsh (2001) provide scientific information relating to the environmental impact of such a practice. The authors point out that such a release would have to be at great depth in the ocean to avoid having it return to the surface. However, the living ecosystems at such depths are very vulnerable to changes in the biogeochemistry in their environment, particularly to changes in pH that surely would result from such large infusions of CO2. Seibel and Walsh (2001) estimate that sequestration of enough atmospheric CO2 to stablilize atmospheric concentrations at 550 ppm (twice the pre-industrial level) would raise ocean pH globally by about 0.1 by 2100. Because of the high sensitivity of most deep-sea organisms to rapid changes in pH, such massive CO2 disposal likely would have significant adverse consequences on deep-sea ecosystems.
Reference
Seibel, B. A., and P. J. Walsh,, 2001: Potential impacts of CO2 injection on deep-sea biota. Science, 294, 319-320.