This project will address questions about the effectiveness of ocean iron fertilization as a carbon dioxide removal technique, identify potential unintended ecological consequences, and determine…

This $967,671 Cooperative Agreement award from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Acidification Program (CFDA 11.017) will fund research to assess the effectiveness and potential unintended consequences of ocean iron fertilization as a carbon dioxide removal technique. The research will use observing system simulation experiments with ocean biogeochemical models to examine the impacts of iron enrichment in the Southern Ocean, Equatorial Pacific, and Subarctic Pacific regions. The 3-year project, running from Sep 1, 2023 to Aug 31, 2026, is being conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a private non-profit research organization. Woods Hole will collaborate with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on implementing modeling and conducting simulations to support the research goals.

This project will address questions about the effectiveness of ocean iron fertilization as a carbon dioxide removal technique, identify potential unintended ecological consequences, and determine the necessary systems for monitoring carbon and ecosystem changes. Researchers will examine these questions with observing system simulation experiments run by ocean biogeochemical models. Observing system simulation experiments assess the potential impacts of new observing systems, instrumentation, or data assimilation, prior to implementation. The observing system simulation experiments will target field trials in three regions: the southern ocean, the equatorial pacific, and the subarctic pacific. The research aims to assess hypotheses related to the effectiveness of iron enrichment at different scales and the long-term effects of regional iron fertilization. High resolution models will examine the extent of carbon sequestration and potential effects on local and remote ecosystems on a smal