Achieving Highly Efficient Atmospheric CO 2 Uptake by Artificial Upwelling

Yiwen Pan, Long You, Yifan Li, Wei Fan, Chen-Tung Arthur Chen, Bing-Jye Wang and Ying Chen
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Yiwen Pan: Department of Ocean Science, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Long You: Department of Ocean Science, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Yifan Li: Department of Ocean Science, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Wei Fan: Department of Ocean Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Chen-Tung Arthur Chen: Department of Ocean Science, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Bing-Jye Wang: Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Ying Chen: Department of Ocean Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Artificial upwelling (AU) is considered a potential means of reducing the accumulation of anthropogenic CO 2 . It has been suggested that AU has significant effects on regional carbon sink or source characteristics, and these effects are strongly influenced by certain technical parameters, the applied region, and the season. In this study, we simulated the power needed to raise the level of deep ocean water (DOW) to designated plume trapping depths in order to evaluate the effect of changing the source DOW depth and the plume trapping depth on carbon sequestration ability and efficiency. A carbon sequestration efficiency index (CSEI) was defined to indicate the carbon sequestration efficiency per unit of power consumption. The results suggested that the CSEI and the carbon sequestration ability exhibit opposite patterns when the DOW depth is increased, indicating that, although raising a lower DOW level can enhance the regional carbon sequestration ability, it is not energy-efficient. Large variations in the CSEI were shown to be associated with different regions, seasons, and AU technical parameters. According to the simulated CSEI values, the northeast past of the Sea of Japan is most suitable for AU, and some regions in the South China Sea are not suitable for increasing carbon sink.

Keywords: artificial upwelling; air-lift pump; carbon sequestration efficiency index; power consumption; anthropogenic CO 2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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