Lessons from a Coastal Alkalinity Enhancement Pilot
When carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, it reacts with seawater and creates a disruption to the water’s chemical balance. Prolonged acidification poses threats to marine ecosystems and fisheries. In addition, the ocean is the largest sink of atmospheric carbon posing an opportunity for climate intervention. Private industry and academic researchers are working to mitigate this risk posed by ocean acidification and climate change through localized and global interventions, such as controlled introduction of alkaline-enhanced water to the ocean. Emerging methods of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) research are focused on effectiveness and protection of marine resources in real environmental settings.
Within this evolving research landscape, Anchor QEA contributed to “A Novel Methodology to Characterize the Potential Impacts of Electrochemical Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement on Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch),” an ex situ peer reviewed study published in Frontiers in Climate. Ebb Carbon led the study as part of its Project Macoma pilot study in collaboration with Spheros Environmental with fish provided by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Conducted under simulated field routine discharge conditions, the work focuses on areas where applied environmental science and engineering inform current and future field operations and ecological safety methods.
A First of Its Kind Methodology
Ebb Carbon’s Project Macoma obtained a first of its kind National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for an mCDR pilot study in Western Port Angeles Harbor. As part of the permitting process led by Anchor QEA scientists, an Ecological Safety Methodology (ESM) document was issued. The permit and ESM required both ex situ and in situ biological monitoring to protect valuable ecological resources in the harbor and beyond. The ESM was developed to guide study design, field surveys, monitoring protocols, exposure characterization, and reporting protocol. In this ex situ study, the research team implemented a novel methodology to simulate potential exposure of juvenile coho salmon to alkaline discharge within 3 meters of the outfall during routine operations.
Monitoring and Interpreting Ecological Response
Field-based operations present challenges that differ from those encountered in controlled settings. Coastal systems are shaped by tides, seasonal variability, biological processes, and site-specific conditions—each of which influence data collection and interpretation. Intentional design of controlled experiments can help isolate a constrained set of environmental variables to produce findings that are useful beyond a single location or limited time frame.
Equally important is how findings are interpreted. Observations are inherently bound by the scope, duration, and conditions of a study. Responsible interpretation requires acknowledging these limits while recognizing the value of data collected under real environmental conditions. In this case, the observations help inform further evaluation rather than offering definitive conclusions.
The study simulated the exposure at operational conditions and showed no adverse effects on juvenile coho salmon. During the experiment, pH and temperature sensors monitored the mixing of the alkaline-enhanced water, and the fish were monitored for behavior changes, mortality, and post-exposure changes to the gills, eyes, or external body tissue. No changes in behavior or physical condition, nor fish mortalities were found. Routine field monitoring has not shown any recorded adverse effects on other invertebrates, birds, or marine mammals observed within the mixing zone during operations.
The Role of Collaboration
Ebb Carbon’s leadership in advancing coastal alkalinity enhancement research, combined with applied expertise in environmental monitoring and field evaluation, helped the ex situ study and pilot address practical questions relevant to future research, applied applications of the technology, and oversight.
For Anchor QEA, this work reflects our broader role in emerging areas of environmental science: translating innovative ideas into controlled, testable studies that generate useful, rigorous data for informed decision-making. Specific to this study, the growing interest in novel marine carbon dioxide removal intervention approaches underscores the need for applied, collaborative research to evaluate their practical implications and how these concepts perform under real-world conditions.
Research projects like this highlight the value of collaboration between organizations with complementary expertise for applications beyond a single study.
Nathan Soccorsy is a Principal Scientist and Matthew Galaska, PhD is a Managing Scientist at Anchor QEA.
Get in touch with Nathan Soccorsy to learn more.