NEAR-FIELD IMPACTS OF REDUCED PH FROM OCEAN CO2 DISPOSAL

A methodology has been developed to quantify mortality suffered by mar ine zooplankton passing through a CO2-enriched sea water plume. Predic ted impact depends on the mode of injection with scenarios which dispe rse the CO2 showing least impact. Benthic impacts also depend on injec tion mode, with localized effects expected for any scenario in which t he plume contacts the bottom. Effects of scale were found whereby the predicted impact from 10 power plants is greater than 10 times the imp act of one plant at the same site. Based on available data, our modeli ng suggests that mortality associated with exposure to low pH can be a voided by properly dispersing the CO2 and keeping the plume off of the seabed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.