The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Building biogeochemical models to assess impacts of OAE on N2O production and nitrogen cycling processes
ID:1397 Oral Presentation

2027-01-12 11:40 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 22 - Advances in modeling marine carbon dioxide removal

Abstract
Research on viable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathways is becoming more urgent as climate change impacts are increasing in frequency and severity. Due to the ocean’s great capacity to absorb and store carbon, interest in marine CDR (mCDR) methods such as ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) are rising. Along with the need to monitor, report, and verify (MRV) the carbon removal efficacy of these approaches, increased understanding about environmental and ecological impacts are critical to inform decisions about viable and responsible mCDR techniques. To date, research has rarely explored how mCDR methods could affect nitrogen cycling, such as the net removal of greenhouse gases (GHG) through air-sea fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and/or altered nutrient dynamics (i.e. through ammonia/ammonium vs. nitrate phytoplankton uptake) that could have cascading ecological effects on higher trophic levels. In this project, we develop a new, open-source nitrogen cycle model that includes the generation of N2O, which can be coupled with established biogeochemical models that are being applied for mCDR MRV and environmental and ecological monitoring. This presentation will share results from model scenarios that assess nitrogen cycling during OAE experiments and evaluate N2O fluxes, ammonia/ammonium vs. nitrate uptake, and outputs from biogeochemical feedbacks that can inform ecosystem level models. We evaluate thresholds that lead to positive and negative environmental impacts and present learnings that can help weigh the benefits and risks related to mCDR techniques.
 
Speaker
Kalina Grabb Dalhousie University

Author
Kalina Grabb Dalhousie University

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027