“RADIO” Reaction Transport Model
Hourglass is developing a sediment reaction transport model, “RADIO”, which mechanistically predicts, among other things, alkalinity and cation fluxes resulting from alkaline mineral dissolution on the seafloor.
RADIO is anticipated to be a critical component of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) methodologies for any mineral-based Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement strategy where the alkaline feedstock does not fully dissolve in the water column.
Rigorous models for rigorous carbon removal quantification.
Many alkaline mineral feedstocks that are currently under consideration for Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement strategies, such as olivine and brucite, dissolve relatively slowly in seawater (days to years). As such, much of the dissolution and alkalinity production occurs on the seafloor rather than in the water column. Due to the complexity of sediment biogeochemistry, models are required to predict and/or validate field-derived alkalinity fluxes resulting from seafloor mineral additions.
To meet this need, Hourglass is building “RADIO”, an adaption of an existing sediment reaction transport model (“RADI“). RADIO is a fit-for-purpose tool that enables rigorous, transparent, and standardized carbon accounting for deployments of mineral-based Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement. The RADIO model will be tuned and back-tested against real-world data from OAE field trials. Ultimately, it can be integrated with Regional Ocean Model Systems (ROMS), or similar, to generate a comprehensive MRV pathway for mineral-based Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement. RADIO will be made freely available to all researchers for continued research and development.