Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Assessing the utility of coastal enhanced weathering

About the project

If the extent of global warming is to be limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels then Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) approaches need to be able to extract up to 1000 GtCO 2 from the atmosphere by 2100. Meeting these targets requires the rapid implementation of an array of CDR methods, with ocean-based techniques receiving increasing attention due to the potential scale and permanence of CO 2 sequestration that can be achieved. Coastal enhanced weathering, a form of ocean alkalinity enhancement, is one of the most promising ocean-based CDR techniques, with laboratory experiments and model-based estimates implying it may be capable of removing several GtCO 2/ yr [e.g. 1]. However, confidence in the viability of this approach is currently limited by uncertainties in the rate of weathering and the potential for environmental and ecosystem impacts [2,3]. This project addresses these knowledge gaps by investigating the weathering processes and fate of trace metals released during olivine dissolution in coastal environments. Working in collaboration with Vesta , who are conducting the world’s first coastal enhanced weathering trials in America and the Caribbean, this study will help establish the rate of weathering and whether potentially bio-limiting and/or toxic metals such as Fe, Si and Ni are released into seawater or retained within the sediments.

For full project details visit the Inspire project page .

Lead supervisor

• Doctor Christopher Pearce (National Oceanography Centre)

Supervisors

• Professor Rachael James (University of Southampton)
• Doctor Feifei Deng (National Oceanography Centre)
• Doctor Susan Little (UCL)
• Doctor Grace Andrews (Vesta)

Professor Rachael James

• Enhanced rock weathering and other techniques for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Novel isotopic signatures of biogeochemical cycling, including iron, chromium, lithium and magnesium, and the response of biogeochemcal cycles to global environmental change
• Exploration for new sources of metals and elements critical for emerging green technologies, including lithium and the rare earth elements

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent , in one of these subjects:

• any Earth or environmental science discipline
• chemistry
• geology

Fees and funding

INSPIRE studentships are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI). The stipend is in line with UKRI standard levels, including the recent cost of living increase.

All studentships are fully funded for 3.5 years.

How to apply

To make an application, visit the how to apply section of the INSPIRE website .

Contact us

For questions about the project, contact Doctor Christopher Pearce:

Email: c.r.pearce@noc.ac.uk

For questions about the application process, contact the graduate school office.

Email: gsnocs@soton.ac.uk

Research areas