Carbon cycle. Potential impacts of CO2 injection on deep-sea biota.

Abstract

Efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are increasingly looking to the oceans, either through iron fertilization programs (see this week9s Policy Forum by Chisholm et al.) or through COinjection into the deep sea. In their Perspective, Seibel and Walsh investigate how such deep-sea disposal may affect organisms that live in these environments. They warn that even small perturbations in COor pH may have important consequences for deep-sea ecosystems and for global biogeochemical cycles. Detailed studies into these effects are needed before the risks and benefits of deep-sea carbon storage can be assessed appropriately.