Research team
Expertise
Focussing on the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, iron and sulfur, I study the past and present ocean, using a research approach that combines field work and laboratory incubations with numerical modeling at the local, regional and global scales. Specific topics are the importance of burrowing fauna for cycling of carbon, iron and sulfur in the Earth System, spatial patterns of redox conditions and nutrient availability in low-oxygen oceans, and the impact of anthropogenic sediment disturbances on the coastal carbon cycle. Through this work I aim to improve our understanding of the Earth’s evolution and to provide new insights into the links between life and its geochemical environment.
Marine carbon dioxide drawdown via enhanced carbonate dissolution in coastal sediments.
Abstract
Ocean alkalinization is a climate stabilization technique that increases the buffer capacity of the ocean, thereby storing additional atmospheric CO2 in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon. Despite the pressing climate challenge, research on ocean alkalinization remains in an early stage. Here I want to investigate a new form of ocean alkalinization: coastal enhanced carbonate dissolution. The dissolution of carbonate minerals in coastal and shelf sediments provides an important source of alkalinity to the ocean. By deliberately introducing fast-weathering carbonate minerals into the coastal zone, one could create a CO2 sink. The geochemical basis is firmly established: enhanced carbonate dissolution forms a natural response of the marine carbon cycle towards elevated CO2. Furthermore, enhanced carbonate dissolution holds a principal advantage over other CO2 drawdown technologies as it also counteracts ocean acidification and it can be directly integrated into existing coastal management programs, like dredging and other marine engineering operations. So far, there has been no rigorous assessment of the CO2-sequestration efficiency of enhanced carbonate dissolution. Here, I will conduct a set of microcosm and mesocosm experiments to investigate enhanced carbonate weathering in coastal environments, develop novel modelling tools to assess the efficiency of CO2 removal under realistic natural settings and identify promising locations in the coastal ocean.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Meysman Filip
- Co-promoter: van de Velde Sebastiaan
- Fellow: Goossens Cedric
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project