Abstract
The increasing of CO2 sinks in the ocean is studied for the mitigation of global warming. In the present research, we studied the application of an artificial marine structure to generate an upwelling. The purpose of this research was to develop an evaluation technology of CO2 fixation around an artificial upwelling area. In order to clarify the limiting factors of the CO2 fixation in the area, field observations, laboratory experiments, and model calculation were carried out for the Ikitsuki artificial upwelling site, Japan. The fixation of 900-5000 ton-CO2/yr was estimated from the biological processes and the physical processes of the Ikitsuki site by preliminary analysis. The total amount of the CO2 emission for artificial marine structure in Ikituki site was 4, 100 ton. It was shown that cumulative CO2 fixation exceeded the CO2 emission after few years. Our results suggested that artificial upwelling system has a possibility of enhancement of CO2 fixation in the ocean.
