Articles | Volume 22, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-5897-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-5897-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Oct 2025
Research article |  | 22 Oct 2025

Interactions between ocean alkalinity enhancement and phytoplankton in an Earth system model

Miriam Seifert, Christopher Danek, Christoph Völker, and Judith Hauck

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Cited articles

Bach, L. T., Riebesell, U., Gutowska, M. A., Federwisch, L., and Schulz, K. G.: A unifying concept of coccolithophore sensitivity to changing carbonate chemistry embedded in an ecological framework, Prog. Oceanogr., 135, 125–138, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2015.04.012, 2015. a, b
Bach, L. T., Gill, S. J., Rickaby, R. E. M., Gore, S., and Renforth, P.: CO2 Removal With Enhanced Weathering and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement: Potential Risks and Co-benefits for Marine Pelagic Ecosystems, Front. Clim., 1, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2019.00007, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j
Bednaršek, N., van de Mortel, H., Pelletier, G., García-Reyes, M., Feely, R. A., and Dickson, A. G.: Assessment framework to predict sensitivity of marine calcifiers to ocean alkalinity enhancement – identification of biological thresholds and importance of precautionary principle, Biogeosciences, 22, 473–498, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-473-2025, 2025. a
Bertram, C. and Merk, C.: Public Perceptions of Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal: The Nature-Engineering Divide?, Front. Clim., 2, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2020.594194, 2020. a
Bhaumik, A., Faucher, G., Henning, M., Meunier, C. L., and Boersma, M.: Prey dynamics as a buffer: enhancing copepod resilience to ocean alkalinity enhancement, Environ. Res. Lett., 20, 024058, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adaa8c, 2025. a, b
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) can help to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Yet, our study is the first to investigate the link between OAE and phytoplankton in an Earth system model. We show that OAE can indirectly decrease primary production and that biological feedbacks can modify the efficiency of OAE. Our study provides hints for ecological risks of OAE and the quantification of carbon drawdown and can serve as a kick start for other models to consider OAE–ecosystem interactions.
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