February 20, 2025 — A controversial geoengineering project is seeking a permit from EPA to conduct research in the Gulf of Maine — including experiments some scientists say could help the world meet its global climate goals.
Known as LOC-NESS — short for Locking away Ocean Carbon in the Northeast Shelf and Slope — the project is spearheaded by Adam Subhas, a marine scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. If approved, the experiments would help scientists test the possibility of using the ocean to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — offsetting human emissions of greenhouse gases and combating climate change.
The ocean naturally sucks up CO2 on its own. But scientists say that adding alkaline substances, or materials with a high pH, can cause the water to soak up even more of the climate-warming gas. LOC-NESS proposes to release small amounts of sodium hydroxide alongside a special dye used to trace the material’s movement through the water.