Tidal wetlands as a low pH environment for accelerated and scalable olivine dissolution

PI: Kevin Kroeger, United States Geological Survey (USGS) 
Start Year: 2023 | Duration: 4 years
Partners: USGS Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Vesta Corporation, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Park Service (NPS)

Project Abstract:

Researchers will test that enhanced weathering, particularly with the rock-forming mineral olivine, leads to a decrease in carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Additionally, the study tests that this method increases dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity in the porewater and adjacent estuary, and creates a chemical range beneficial for oyster larval recruitment, survival, and growth. The team will conduct experiments at various scales, from the laboratory to field macrocosm, to develop models for olivine dissolution. Laboratory experiments will optimize olivine dissolution rates and assess impacts on various impacts such as the chemistry of soil and coastal seawater and ecosystem health. This small-scale experimentation will inform the design and execution of a field trial where olivine will be applied to a 0.5-hectare salt marsh plot in collaboration with the Herring River Restoration, a salt marsh ecosystem project in the U.S. National Park Service land. The field trial provides an opportunity for the research and regulatory communities to evaluate environmental safety as well as compare measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification technologies. Other outcomes of the field trial include understanding the impact of olivine on soil chemistry, microbial communities, vegetation, and invertebrates.