Relevance: GS III (Environment & Climate Change) | Source: The Guardian
1. What is the News?
- The Problem: Oceans are the Earth’s biggest sponges—they soak up one-third of our CO2 emissions. However, too much CO2 turns into acid (Ocean Acidification), which kills corals and makes it hard for sea creatures like lobsters and prawns to grow shells.
- The Project: The Loc-ness Project (led by Woods Hole) recently tested a “healing” method off the US coast. They added 65,000 litres of an alkaline substance (like an antacid) to the sea to see if it could safely neutralize the acid and pull even more carbon out of the air.
2. The Science: How does it work?
- Mimicking Nature: In nature, rain slowly washes minerals from rocks into the ocean over millions of years. This keeps the water healthy.
- Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE): Scientists are simply speeding up this natural process. By adding alkaline minerals, they turn the dissolved CO2 into bicarbonate (similar to baking soda).
- Safe Storage: Once it becomes bicarbonate, the carbon is “locked” in the water for thousands of years, preventing it from heating the planet.
3. Why this matters for India?
- Local Research: India is not lagging behind. The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad is currently researching specific minerals that can be used to increase the alkalinity of the Arabian Sea to combat global warming.
- Net Zero 2070: To reach our target of “Net Zero” by 2070, India needs technologies that don’t just reduce pollution but actually remove existing CO2 from the atmosphere.
UPSC Value Box
| Key Term / Body | Simple Meaning |
| Ocean Acidification | When CO2 makes seawater acidic, harming marine life. Think of it as the ocean getting “heartburn” from too much carbon. |
| London Convention (1972) | An international agreement that ensures humans don’t “dump” waste into the sea. It now helps regulate experiments like OAE to keep oceans safe. |
| Bicarbonate | A very stable form of carbon that stays in the sea for a long time. It is the safe “end-product” of this carbon-removal process. |
With reference to ‘Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement’ (OAE) and marine conservation, consider the following statements:
- OAE is a technique that mimics the natural weathering of rocks to reduce ocean acidity.
- The process helps in capturing atmospheric carbon and storing it in the ocean as stable bicarbonate.
- Marine geoengineering activities, including OAE, are generally regulated under the London Convention of 1972.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: (d)
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