Could the deep, blue sea hold the key to our little carbon emissions problem [0]? It sounds implausible, but a team of scientists is investigating whether greenhouse gases [0] can be permanently trapped in cold storage on the ocean [0]floor.
The theory goes like this: Once carbon dioxide [2] is liquefied, it can be pumped to the seabed, to a specific depth of about 10,000 feet. There, the temperature remains at constant 35 degrees, and the water pressure overhead could guarantee its density, allowing us to safely stash CO2 underwater. The researchers say this would create a “limitless, low-risk repository” for carbon dioxide.
Experts, even those who aren’t part of the investigative team, are optimistic. But they’re also quick to point out that the idea will take extensive testing in the field and presents the challenge of building plants that can efficiently catch and compress the gas.
The lead author of the study [3], Harvard grad student Kurt Zenz House, said that at the very least, the study showed there was ''an inherently stable and permanent storage option that could bite off a huge chunk of the CO2."
It’s a cool idea and I'm sure the experts are anticipating all the angles and variables to prevent whatever potential problems may arise.
But as someone who knows far more about cheesy action flicks than the chemistry of the ocean crust, it also sounds a lot like the beginning of a movie in which a team of scientists (led by Samuel L. Jackson [4], of course) will have less than 24 hours to save the planet.