Ocean crust pillow lavas could store many centuries of industrial CO2

[ScienceRocks]

Ocean crust pillow lavas could store many centuries of industrial CO2

Researchers from the University of Southampton have identified regions beneath the oceans where the igneous rocks of the upper ocean crust could safely store very large volumes of carbon dioxide.

The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas has led to dramatically increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere causing climate change and ocean acidification. Although technologies are being developed to capture CO2 at major sources such as power stations, this will only avoid further warming if that CO2 is then safely locked away from the atmosphere for centuries.

PhD student Chiara Marieni, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, investigated the physical properties of CO2 to develop global maps of the ocean floor to estimate where CO2 can be safely stored.

:: University of Southampton

 

[ScienceRocks]

I think we should use them and get the atmospheric co2 down to around 150ppm.

 

[ScienceRocks]

bump

 

[Abraham3]

I think we should use them and get the atmospheric co2 down to around 150ppm.

That would take a thousand years of dedicated effort and would probably lead us into a deep freeze. I think getting it to 300 ppm would constitute a fooking miracle.

Besides, the sun does seem to be going into a minimum. We very well may want a little excess CO2 to compensate. 300-325 should be enough. Of course, we'll never reach that. As a group, we're just too stupid. I expect that we'll break 500 before mid-century. I don't think the rate will even slow till gasoline hits $8-$10/gallon in current dollars. Concern for the future certainly won't motivate a soul. We're monkeys with car keys, not intelligent organisms capable of any concern about the future.