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Cited by 29Marine and coastal ecosystemsOcean Acidification Effects and ResponsesClimate Change and Geoengineering

Plankton food web structure and productivity under ocean alkalinity enhancement

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Sánchez, Nicolás, Goldenberg, Silvan U., Brüggemann, Daniel, Jaspers, Cornelia, Taucher, Jan, Riebesell, Ulf·2024·Science Advances
DOI 10.1126/sciadv.ado0264PMC PMC11623272
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Abstract

Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a nature-based technology for CO 2 removal and storage, but little is known about its environmental safety. We tested a CO 2 -equilibrated OAE deployment in a close-to-natural community using in situ mesocosms in the oligotrophic subtropical North Atlantic and assessed metazoan zooplankton to inform about food web stability, structure, and production. In addition, a literature review complemented experimental results by summarizing physiological responses of marine animals to decreasing proton concentrations, or increased pH. The food web studied proved resistant, and zooplankton physiologically tolerant, to the OAE tested. We observed short-term effects of OAE on zooplankton reproduction and productivity, which were likely trophically mediated. Yet, these did not affect zooplankton populations or their nutritional value as food for fish. Our study demonstrates an environmentally safe OAE application, but also stresses the risks of more intense OAE options, and the vulnerabilities of other marine ecosystems.

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  • Existing studies report variable biological responses, ranging from substantial shifts in plankton biomass and community structure to negligible ecological effects under different OAE scenarios.

    “Existing studies report variable biological responses, ranging from substantial shifts in plankton biomass and community structure to negligible ecological effects under different OAE scenarios (Guo et al., 2025; McElhany et al., 2026; Sánchez et al., 2024; Xin et al., 2024).”

    From Biogeochemical responses to ocean alkalinity enhancement in the North China Sea (2026) · cites this paper as Sánchez et al., 2024

  • The net impact of OAE-induced changes on carbon export is unclear, and early research has not shown a significant impact in either direction.

    “The net impact of these changes on C export is unclear, and early research has not shown a significant impact in either direction. 81,82”

    From A framework for understanding efficiency losses of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (2026) · cites this paper as [82]

    The Results (Table 1; page unavailable) report no significant OAE effect on particulate organic carbon or primary production, but neither measure establishes carbon export. Searches for carbon export and sinking or export flux found no passage reporting an OAE effect on export or assessing its net impact. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Sánchez, N., Goldenberg, S. U., Brüggemann, D., Jaspers, C., Taucher, J., & Riebesell, U.
Affiliations
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
  • GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE)
  • Technical University of Denmark (DK)
Corresponding author
Sánchez, Nicolás
ORCID
Venue
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2024-12-06
Volume
10
Issue
49
Pages
eado0264-eado0264
ISSN
2375-2548 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.ado0264
PMC
PMC11623272
OpenAlex
W4405102457
Cited by
29
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 8
FWCI
6.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Science Advances (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (acceptedVersion)
  • Technical University of Denmark, DTU Orbit (Technical University of Denmark, DTU) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Geoengineering
Keywords
ocean alkalinity enhancement, planktonic food web, zooplankton, food web stability, zooplankton reproduction, ocean acidification, pH, proton concentration, marine ecosystem vulnerability
MeSH terms
Animals, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Oceans and Seas, Plankton, Seawater, Zooplankton, Ecosystem, Food Chain

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