title: Experimental determination of the fate of rising CO2 droplets in seawater.
abstract: Direct oceanic disposal of fossil fuel CO2 is being considered as a possible means to moderate the growth rate of CO2 in the atmosphere. We have measured the rise rate and dissolution rate of freely released CO2 droplets in the open ocean to provide fundamental data for carbon sequestration options. A small amount of liquid CO2 was released at 800 m, at 4.4 degrees C, and the rising droplet stream was imaged with a HDTV camera carried on a remotely operated vehicle. The initial rise rate for 0.9-cm diameter droplets was 10 cm/s at 800 m, and the dissolution rate was 3.0 micromol cm(-2) s(-1). While visual contact was maintained for 1 h and over a 400 m ascent, 90% of the mass loss occurred within 30 min over a 200 m ascent above the release point. Images of droplets crossing the liquid-gas-phase boundary showed formation of a gas head, pinching off of a liquid tail, and rapid gas bubble separation and dissolution.
authors.affiliation: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California 95039, USA. brpe@mbari.org
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Brewer
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Peltzer
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friederich
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rehder
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007474:Ion Exchange; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D012995:Solubility / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide