"One of the planet’s most vital #CarbonSinks i.e. SOUTHERN OCEAN (SO) (absorbs ~40% of C) is revealing its secrets as tiny organisms in the SO play an outsized role in moderating Earth’s #climate."
Details from the recent research are discussed in a🧵⬇️ 1/8
"Based on 107 independent observations of the seasonal cycle from 63 #biogeochemical profiling floats, new study conducted by scientists from #NOAA & University of Hawai'i provide the basin-scale estimate of distinct biogenic #CarbonPool production at Southern Ocean." 2/8
Researchers find "significant meridional variability with enhanced #ParticulateOrganicCarbon production in the subantarctic & polar Antarctic sectors & enhanced #DissolvedOrganicCarbon production in the subtropical & sea-ice-dominated sectors." 3/8
"#ParticulateInorganicCarbon production peaks between 47°S and 57°S near the “great calcite belt.” Relative to an abiotic Southern Ocean (SO), organic C production enhances CO2 uptake by 2.80 ± 0.28 Pg C y−1, while PIC production reduces CO2 uptake by 0.27 ± 0.21 Pg C y−1." 4/8
"Without organic C production, the SO would be a CO2 source to the atm. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of #DOC & #PIC production, in addition to the well-recognized role of #POC production, in shaping the influence of C export on air–sea CO2 exchange." 5/8
IN SIMPLE WORDS ⬇️
🌊 "Researchers discovered that if the amount of #carbon produced by tiny organisms in Southern Ocean decreased by 30%, the Southern Ocean would release carbon dioxide instead of #absorbing it, which could worsen the #GreenhouseEffect on our planet." 6/8
Read the open-access paper entitled: "Biogenic carbon pool production maintains the Southern Ocean carbon sink" here ⬇️ pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
"Geoengineering isn't just a climate issue—it's a geopolitical chess game. Only US & China have power to unilaterally deploy #SAI at scale."
Will they race to control skies or seek climate diplomacy? New study explores 4 futures🧵1/9
2/ SAI could cool the planet—but who controls it controls global climate security.
Key risks of unilateral deployment:
🔴 Termination shock
🔴 Environmental disruptions
🔴 SAI as a potential weapon
🔴 Geopolitical leverage—both a threat & opportunity
3/ This creates a security gap:
The US & China are locked in great power competition, yet neither has a clear strategy on SAI.
Who moves first? Who controls the stratosphere? The dilemma: Deploy & gain influence—or deter & risk falling behind?
📰 Here's your round-up of top #CarbonDioxideRemoval News / Developments from this week (17 February - 23 February 2025):
🔗:
🧵0/19
@Arcaclimate has secured $12.2 million from Australian venture capital firms Side Stage Ventures and Saniel Ventures to help scale its carbon removal technology at Western Australian mine sites.
Qualterra, a company that converts organic waste into biochar for soil health and carbon sequestration, secured $4.5M to expand biochar production, launch carbon credits, and scale plant propagation.
🚨What if we could remove methane from the atmosphere—fast?🚨
A new study proposes two ways to use 𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 to destroy this powerful GHG: one with reactors, the other by releasing chlorine into the air. But one of these ideas comes with serious risks:🧵1/10
2/ Methane is a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas, responsible for ~0.5°C of global warming. "It’s 80x more potent than CO₂ over 20 years," and its atmospheric levels continue to rise—despite global pledges to cut emissions.
3/ In nature, hydroxyl (OH) radicals break down methane, but the process is slow.
Chlorine (Cl) radicals can do the same job 16x faster, though they are far less abundant in atm—destroying only ~1-4% of methane today.
🚨🐺Scotland’s lost forests could rise again with the help of wolves🐺🚨
A new study finds that reintroducing these apex predators in the Scottish Highlands could restore wild woodlands & capture 𝟏 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐎₂ 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 (#CDR). Here’s how:🧵1/7
2/ The Scottish Highlands were once a land of towering pines and roaming wolves. But 250 years ago, wolves vanished—and with them, nature’s balance. Red deer, left unchecked, now number 400,000, grazing young trees before they can take root.
3/ Researchers modeled what would happen if wolves returned to the Cairngorms, the Central Highlands, and beyond.
Their findings? 167 wolves could reduce deer numbers enough for forests to regrow naturally—on a vast scale.