Nearshore Enhanced Weathering Field Trial

Spending our days on the water.

During May and June 2024, Vesta placed ~8,200 tonnes of olivine sand 1,500 ft offshore Duck, NC as a nearshore berm. Nearshore berms are a form of coastal protection structure that benefit coastlines by dissipating wave energy. Olivine is a naturally-occurring mineral that dissolves gradually in seawater, and as it does, converts carbon dioxide (CO2) entrained in seawater into a form of dissolved carbon called alkalinity. This process allows the ocean to uptake more CO2 from our atmosphere, mitigating climate change, while simultaneously reducing ocean acidification via the production of alkalinity. The addition of olivine minerals to the ocean for the purposes of carbon dioxide removal can be categorized as an “Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement” strategy, or equally a marine “Enhanced Rock Weathering” strategy.

Now, Hourglass’s NC-based team is conducting repeated (monthly to quarterly) surveys of seawater, sediments and ecology at Vesta’s project site, and will be doing so for three years. We are studying alkalinity production rates, water quality, abundance and diversity of marine organisms, olivine sand transport, and many other topics! Collaborators include scientists from the nearby Coastal Studies Institute and the Department of Biology & Marine Biology at UNC-Wilmington. Hourglass is excited to document the outcomes of the largest marine Enhanced Rock Weathering project to date, and to share our findings with the world.