Natural gradients across surface ocean regions show that changes in carbonate chemistry projected for ocean alkalinity enhancement could promote the proliferation of calcifying phytoplankton. This shift would increase an alkalinity sink, thus reducing the efficiency of ocean alkalinity enhancement as a CO2 removal method.
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This is a summary of: Lehmann, T. et al. Global carbonate chemistry gradients reveal a negative feedback on ocean alkalinity enhancement. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01644-0 (2025).
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Pelagic calcifier proliferation along surface ocean gradients in carbonate chemistry. Nat. Geosci. 18, 205–206 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01646-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01646-y
