Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Role of the ocean in climate stabilization

Other · · Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
 [1];  [2]
  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Cornell University
  2. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)

The ocean has absorbed over 90% of the heat from recent anthropogenic greenhouse warming. This chapter reviews a variety of ocean-related methods for slowing down and eventually halting this warming. “Blue carbon” reservoirs store more carbon than terrestrial equivalents, although are still limited compared with global negative emissions needs. Oceanic carbon uptake could be augmented via iron fertilization, although this method presents challenges. Algal-based biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (ABECCS) offers opportunities for carbon-neutral fuel alternatives as well as for negative emissions. Total carbon dioxide removal potential is estimated at 15–33 Pg CO2/year by mid-century and 33–95 Pg CO2/year by the end of the century, which could offset current and projected CO2 emissions. ABECCS can also coproduce high-protein feed for aquaculture and reduce demand for agricultural land. Furthermore, combined with effective ocean blue carbon management and terrestrial methods, ocean-based carbon removal can play a critical role in climate stabilization.

Research Organization:
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Technology Development (EE-20)
DOE Contract Number:
EE0007091
OSTI ID:
2234010
Journal Information:
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, Journal Name: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (82)

Farming with crops and rocks to address global climate, food and soil security journal February 2018
Soils and climate change journal November 2012
A Semi-Empirical Approach to Projecting Future Sea-Level Rise journal January 2007
The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise journal October 2015
Review of the applied mechanical problems in ocean thermal energy conversion journal October 2018
Changes in Ocean Heat, Carbon Content, and Ventilation: A Review of the First Decade of GO-SHIP Global Repeat Hydrography journal January 2016
Marine microorganisms and global nutrient cycles journal September 2004
Global coastal wetland change under sea-level rise and related stresses: The DIVA Wetland Change Model journal April 2016
Decomposing passenger transport futures: Comparing results of global integrated assessment models journal August 2017
Urban warming reduces aboveground carbon storage journal October 2016
Three Degrees of Consensus journal August 2004
A techno-economic analysis of industrial production of marine microalgae as a source of EPA and DHA-rich raw material for aquafeed: Research challenges and possibilities journal January 2015
Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics journal April 2011
Marine Microalgae: Climate, Energy, and Food Security from the Sea journal December 2016
Enhanced chemical weathering as a geoengineering strategy to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, supply nutrients, and mitigate ocean acidification: ENHANCED WEATHERING journal April 2013
Warming of the world ocean, 1955–2003 journal January 2005
The Global Potential for Carbon Dioxide Removal book May 2014
Ocean Fertilization: Science, Policy, and Commerce journal September 2009
The future of seagrass meadows journal June 2002
Negative-CO2-emissions ocean thermal energy conversion journal November 2018
Recent increase in oceanic carbon uptake driven by weaker upper-ocean overturning journal February 2017
Probabilistic 21st and 22nd century sea-level projections at a global network of tide-gauge sites: KOPP ET AL. journal August 2014
Evaluating and Ranking the Vulnerability of Global Marine Ecosystems to Anthropogenic Threats journal October 2007
Target Cultivation and Financing Parameters for Sustainable Production of Fuel and Feed from Microalgae journal March 2016
Integrating Algae with Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (ABECCS) Increases Sustainability journal March 2018
Atmospheric CO2 capture by algae: Negative carbon dioxide emission path journal September 2016
A safe operating space for humanity journal September 2009
A blueprint for blue carbon: toward an improved understanding of the role of vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO 2 journal January 2011
Kinematic Constraints on Glacier Contributions to 21st-Century Sea-Level Rise journal September 2008
Warming of the World Ocean journal March 2000
The role of coastal plant communities for climate change mitigation and adaptation journal October 2013
Renewables and climate change mitigation: Irreversible energy investment under uncertainty and portfolio effects journal January 2012
Continued global warming after CO2 emissions stoppage journal November 2013
Globalizing results from ocean in situ iron fertilization studies: GLOBALIZING IRON FERTILIZATION journal June 2006
Soil carbon sequestration and biochar as negative emission technologies journal January 2016
Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon stock journal May 2012
Mangrove blue carbon strategies for climate change mitigation are most effective at the national scale journal October 2018
Shifting the Debate on Geoengineering journal May 2010
Multicentury changes in ocean and land contributions to the climate-carbon feedback: CARBON CYCLE FEEDBACKS TO 2300 IN CESM journal June 2015
Analytical solution for the effect of increasing CO2 on global mean temperature journal June 1985
Doubling of coastal flooding frequency within decades due to sea-level rise journal May 2017
Industrial-era global ocean heat uptake doubles in recent decades journal January 2016
Target Atmospheric CO: Where Should Humanity Aim? journal October 2008
Ocean Solutions to Address Climate Change and Its Effects on Marine Ecosystems journal October 2018
Dominance of the Southern Ocean in Anthropogenic Carbon and Heat Uptake in CMIP5 Models journal January 2015
Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers journal May 2018
Valuing the storm protection service of estuarine and coastal ecosystems journal February 2015
Ocean Renewable Energy book August 2018
Modelling sea level rise impacts on storm surges along US coasts journal January 2012
Review of ocean tidal, wave and thermal energy technologies journal May 2017
Efficacy of climate forcings journal January 2005
Ocean fertilization for geoengineering: A review of effectiveness, environmental impacts and emerging governance journal November 2012
Sensitivity of climate to cumulative carbon emissions due to compensation of ocean heat and carbon uptake journal December 2014
Natural Variability and Anthropogenic Trends in the Ocean Carbon Sink journal January 2017
Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change journal June 2014
Tipping Elements in the Arctic Marine Ecosystem journal January 2012
Assessing the risk of carbon dioxide emissions from blue carbon ecosystems journal May 2017
Deep-sea fishes qualify as endangered journal January 2006
The reinvigoration of the Southern Ocean carbon sink journal September 2015
Deriving global climate sensitivity from palaeoclimate reconstructions journal December 1992
Assessing carbon dioxide removal through global and regional ocean alkalinization under high and low emission pathways journal January 2018
Global carbon sequestration in tidal, saline wetland soils journal December 2003
Environmental Influences on Regional Deep-Sea Species Diversity journal November 2001
Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Plug-in Electric Vehicles journal December 2016
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Primer journal December 2002
Tidally adjusted estimates of topographic vulnerability to sea level rise and flooding for the contiguous United States journal January 2012
Ocean circulation drove increase in CO2 uptake journal February 2017
Major role of marine vegetation on the oceanic carbon cycle journal January 2005
The Oceanic Sink for Anthropogenic CO2 journal July 2004
Future Protein Supply and Demand: Strategies and Factors Influencing a Sustainable Equilibrium journal July 2017
The biomass distribution on Earth journal May 2018
Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies journal August 2004
Ocean Sequestration of Crop Residue Carbon: Recycling Fossil Fuel Carbon Back to Deep Sediments journal February 2009
Sequestering of Atmospheric Carbon through Permanent Disposal of Crop Residue journal January 2001
Anthropogenic ocean acidification over the twenty-first century and its impact on calcifying organisms journal September 2005
Ocean fertilization: a potential means of geoengineering?
  • Lampitt, R. S.; Achterberg, E. P.; Anderson, T. R.
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 366, Issue 1882 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2008.0139
journal August 2008
Environmental and Ecological Effects of Ocean Renewable Energy Development – A Current Synthesis journal June 2010
Estimating Global “Blue Carbon” Emissions from Conversion and Degradation of Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems journal September 2012
Continental slope and deep-sea fisheries: implications for a fragile ecosystem journal June 2000
The Political Dimension of Vulnerability: Implications for the Green Climate Fund journal May 2011
Global ocean heat content 1955-2008 in light of recently revealed instrumentation problems: GLOBAL OCEAN HEAT CONTENT journal April 2009
Climate Response Times: Dependence on Climate Sensitivity and Ocean Mixing journal August 1985

Similar Records

Final Technical Report: DOE-Biological Ocean Margins Program. Microbial Ecology of Denitrifying Bacteria in the Coastal Ocean.
Other · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2012 · OSTI ID:1041386

Topical Report – Findings on Subtask 2.7 – Wet ESP and Aerosol Testing at Coal Creek Station
Other · Mon Nov 29 23:00:00 EST 2021 · OSTI ID:1833078

Screening for Lipids From Marine Microalgae Using Nile Red
Other · Sun Feb 05 23:00:00 EST 2017 · Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Production of Fuels and Chemicals · OSTI ID:2280659