A carbon-sequestration study that would pour 20 metric tons of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and tracer dye into the ocean 11 nautical miles off Martha’s Vineyard will not begin until at least next summer, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The delay of what would be the first “ocean alkalinity enhancement,” or OAE, experiment in U.S. waters follows an announcement by Woods Hole officials that a fully equipped research vessel was no longer available to begin the first phase of the project as planned in mid-September. Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a way to modify the chemistry of ocean water to make it more efficient at absorbing CO2, and scientists are hopeful the technique could help slow onset of climate change impacts.
But the two-phase project also has not yet received EPA approvals, a Woods Hole spokesperson acknowledged in an email, noting researchers continue to work with the agency to move the project forward..
“Ultimately vessel availability became the deciding factor because once we lost the one that had been assigned to us, it pushed the research timeline out to a degree that wouldn’t work from a scientific perspective,” WHOI’s Suzanne Pelisson said. “We continue to work with the EPA on permitting for next year’s trial and are continuing to incorporate broad community feedback into the experimental design and site location.”
