Eelgrass beds
Natural pH buffer • habitat restoration
Seagrass meadows can locally shift carbonate chemistry by drawing down CO₂ during photosynthesis, improving conditions for nearby shellfish—especially during daytime.
Current, proven solutions
Practical approaches that protect coastal ecosystems and reduce harm to shell-building species today.
Hatchery water treatment
Local alkalinity control • resilience for oysters
Hatcheries can monitor intake water chemistry and adjust treatment to protect larvae during vulnerable stages—reducing losses during corrosive events.
Kelp co-farming
Biological carbon uptake • co-benefits for aquaculture
Seaweed can take up dissolved inorganic carbon, potentially raising local pH and supporting nearby shellfish—when farm layout, flow, and timing are designed correctly.
Emerging, promising innovations
Bigger bets that may help at scale—worth watching, but not “magic fixes.”
Electrochemical alkalinity
Ocean chemistry engineering • pilot stage
Uses electrochemical processes to increase alkalinity (and/or remove CO₂). Promising in theory, hard in practice: energy, cost, monitoring, and ecological risk all matter.
Mineral ocean alkalinity enhancement
Crushed minerals • careful evaluation needed
Adding minerals that dissolve and neutralize acidity could increase buffering capacity, but requires strict controls to avoid unintended impacts.
Carbon removal via seaweed sinking
CDR concept • verification is the bottleneck
Some approaches propose growing seaweed fast and transporting carbon to depth. The hard part is proving permanence and avoiding ecosystem disruption.