MBARI - Ocean Chemistry of Greenhouse Gases

SCIENCE Paper Highlights

Direct Experiments on the Ocean Disposal of Fossil Fuel CO₂

Peter G. Brewer¹, Gernot Friederich¹, Edward T. Peltzer¹ & Franklin M. Orr, Jr² .

¹: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
²: Stanford University

SCIENCE 284: 943-945 (1999).

This web-page contains images and video related to our paper published in Science. The material presented here focuses on the deep ocean release experiment conducted at a depth of 3627 m in Monterey Bay. This experiment was the culmination of a series of trials conducted at increasing depths which were undertaken to test various ideas concerning the deep ocean sequestration of carbon dioxide in a real-world environment.

Our experiments were conducted using ships and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institue (MBARI). For the shallow experiments at 349 m, 430 m and 905 m, we used the ROV Ventana deployed from the R/V Point Lobos. For the deep ocean release experiment at 3627 m, we used the ROV Tiburon deployed from the R/V Western Flyer.

Hardware	Physical Chemistry
Still Images	Frame-by-frame Spillover

Background information -- the hardware:

ROV Tiburon onboard the R/V Western Flyer.
Schematic diagram of the cylinder used to dispense liquid CO₂.
View of the accumulator cylinder attached to ROV Tiburon prior to filling.
Gernot Friederich transfering liquid CO₂ to the accumulator cylinder.
Close-up of the accumulator cylinder packed in ice during the filling operation.

Background information -- physical chemistry:


Carbon Dioxide Phase Diagram	Density of Carbon Dioxide at Pressure

Still images from the experiments:

Close-up of CO₂ gas - hydrate formation at 349 m.
Close-up of CO₂ liquid - hydrate formation at 905 m.
Our deep ocean release apparatus on the bottom at 3627 m.
Adding liquid CO₂ "dropwise" to the 4L beaker.
Within an hour the liquid CO₂ rose to the top of the beaker.
The level of liquid CO₂ also rose in the open cylinder.
A large Pacific grenadier fish Coryphaenoides acrolepsis swam by.
And later, so did a brightly colored sea-cucumber Peniagone leander.

Frame-by-frame images of the spillovers:
- A series of frame-grabs of the liquid CO₂ spillover from the 4L beaker:
- A series of frame-grabs of the liquid CO₂ spillover from the open cylinder: