From Ecopedia

Overview

Carbon sequestration, a geo engineering technique, is used for mitigating the dreadful global warming phenomenon by allowing long-term storage of various forms of carbon including carbon dioxide (CO2), which are generally captured from the atmosphere through either physical, chemical or biological processes.

Photosynthesis is a commonly occurring carbon sequestration in nature that allows plants and trees to soak up and store carbon, which would otherwise get released in the air and trap the atmospheric heat. ^[1]

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCSD) technologies are commonly employed for capturing the excess CO2 from the atmosphere, which is later condensed and stored in some useful way. The technologies offer an eco-friendly solution to mitigate the globally alarming greenhouse effect.

CO2 sequestration refers to the storage part of the CCSD, where industrially-produced CO2 is sequestered using carbon sinks including subsurface saline aquifers, ocean water, reservoirs or ageing oil fields.

In 2007, carbon sequestration came into focus in the US when Al Gore along with Richard Branson, initiated a technology-implementation plan by announcing monetary rewards for persons or organizations achieving reductions in CO2 emissions for a period of ten years. ^[2]

Environmental Information

Reduced CO2 Emissions

By employing carbon sequestration techniques, a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions could be achieved, which would help in averting potential environmental impacts of drastic global changes in climate, some of which include:

• Rising sea-levels
• increased intensity and frequency of wildfires, tropical storms, droughts and floods acid rains
• Threatened coastal marine ecosystem among other things.^[3]

Carbon sinks

Naturally existing carbon dioxide uptake mechanisms such as oceanic carbon sinks to some extent offset human-induced carbon emissions. Oceanic carbon sequestration accounts for 2 gigatons of total uptake of carbon every year.

However, carbon sequestration of the oceans fails to completely absorb the excess emissions of carbon, which eventually is leading to increased ocean acidification, threatening the marine life existence.

Terrestrial/biological Sequestration

Biological carbon sequestration is usually accomplished by following soil and forest conservation practices, which enhance carbon storage by restoring as well as establishing new wetlands, grasslands and forests, besides significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions by controlling wildfires and minimizing agricultural tillage.

By converting existing farmlands to wetlands or forests might improve wildlife habitat as well as water quality in addition to increasing flood storage potential.

Geologic Sequestration

Geologic carbon sequestration, involving CO2 capture from fossil-fuel power plant exhaust and such other sources, allows balancing the carbon levels in the atmosphere.

Sequestration practices, thus, show several positive environmental effects on air, soil as well as water quality, besides expanding food production and enhancing wildlife sustenance. ^[4]

References

1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_sequestration
2. ↑ http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-carbon-sequestration.htm
3. ↑ http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3097/pdf/CarbonFS.pdf
4. ↑ http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3097/pdf/CarbonFS.pdf