U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on Deep-sea Foraminifera in two California Margin Experiments
Abstract
ABSTRACT Deep-sea sequestration of CO2 is being considered as a possible mitigation tool to decrease atmospheric CO2 concentrations and its associated negative effects. This study is the first to investigate potential effects of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) injection on deep-sea foraminiferal assemblages. Foraminifera are ideal for this ecological impact investigation because of differing test composition (calcareous and non-calcareous) and thickness, and diverse epifaunal and infaunal depth preferences. The experiment was conducted August-September 2003, at 3600m off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, aboard the R/V Western Flyer using the ROV Tiburon. The pH of the site was monitored throughout the experiment by Seabird CTDs. Sediment push-cores were collected (both from the experimental and control sites) and stained to distinguish live (stained) from dead (unstained) individuals. Effects of CO2 injection on assemblages have been tracked both vertically (to 10cm depth below sea floor) and horizontally (up to 10m from CO2 injection sites), as well as between live and dead individuals. Within the corrals and underlying sediments severe pH changes (to near 4.0) were seen while over the experimental area small average reductions in ocean pH (-0.05 units) and large episodic excursions (-1.7 units) were measured resulting from CO2 injection. Exposure tomore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- James P. Kennett/UC Regents
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1035690
- Report Number(s):
- DOE03ER63696
Project ID 0009590
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-03ER63696
- Resource Type:
- Other
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CARBON DIOXIDE SEQUESTRATION DEEP-OCEAN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA CARBON DIOXIDE HYDRATES
Citation Formats
Ricketts, Erin R. The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on Deep-sea Foraminifera in two California Margin Experiments. United States: N. p., 2006.
Web.
Ricketts, Erin R. The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on Deep-sea Foraminifera in two California Margin Experiments. United States.
Ricketts, Erin R. 2006.
"The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on Deep-sea Foraminifera in two California Margin Experiments". United States.
@article{osti_1035690,
title = {The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on Deep-sea Foraminifera in two California Margin Experiments},
author = {Ricketts, Erin R},
abstractNote = {ABSTRACT Deep-sea sequestration of CO2 is being considered as a possible mitigation tool to decrease atmospheric CO2 concentrations and its associated negative effects. This study is the first to investigate potential effects of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) injection on deep-sea foraminiferal assemblages. Foraminifera are ideal for this ecological impact investigation because of differing test composition (calcareous and non-calcareous) and thickness, and diverse epifaunal and infaunal depth preferences. The experiment was conducted August-September 2003, at 3600m off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, aboard the R/V Western Flyer using the ROV Tiburon. The pH of the site was monitored throughout the experiment by Seabird CTDs. Sediment push-cores were collected (both from the experimental and control sites) and stained to distinguish live (stained) from dead (unstained) individuals. Effects of CO2 injection on assemblages have been tracked both vertically (to 10cm depth below sea floor) and horizontally (up to 10m from CO2 injection sites), as well as between live and dead individuals. Within the corrals and underlying sediments severe pH changes (to near 4.0) were seen while over the experimental area small average reductions in ocean pH (-0.05 units) and large episodic excursions (-1.7 units) were measured resulting from CO2 injection. Exposure to this gradient of low pH caused increased mortality and dissolution of calcareous forms within corrals, as far as 5m from the injection site, and to at least 10cm depth in the sediments. This experiment revealed several major effects of CO2 injection on foraminiferal assemblages in surficial sediments: 1) total number of foraminifera in a sample decreases; 2) foraminiferal species richness decreases in both stained and unstained specimens; and 3) percentage of stained (live) forms increases. Down-core trends (to 10cm below sea floor) have revealed: 1) percent agglutinated forms decline and calcareous forms increase with depth; 2) agglutinated species richness decreases with depth; and 3) experimental core assemblages become increasingly similar with depth to those in control cores not subjected to CO2 injection. These results imply almost complete initial mortality and dissolution in the upper 10cm throughout the corrals after liquid CO2 injection.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1035690},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2006},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2006}
}
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal