Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method
<i>Sargassum</i> spp. blooms exacerbated by climate change and agricultural runoff are inundating Caribbean beaches, emitting toxic fumes and greenhouse gases through decomposition. This hurts tourism, artisanal fishing, shore-based industry, human health, standards-of-living, coastal ec...
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| Format: | Article |
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136688 |
| _version_ | 1811085963763384320 |
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| author | Gray, Luke A. Bisonó León, Andres G. Rojas, Folkers E. Veroneau, Samuel S. Slocum, Alexander H. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Gray, Luke A. Bisonó León, Andres G. Rojas, Folkers E. Veroneau, Samuel S. Slocum, Alexander H. |
| author_sort | Gray, Luke A. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | <i>Sargassum</i> spp. blooms exacerbated by climate change and agricultural runoff are inundating Caribbean beaches, emitting toxic fumes and greenhouse gases through decomposition. This hurts tourism, artisanal fishing, shore-based industry, human health, standards-of-living, coastal ecology, and the global climate. Barriers, collection machinery, and <i>Sargassum</i> valorization have been unable to provide sufficient, sustainable, or widespread relief. This article presents a total <i>Sargassum</i> management system that is effective, low-impact, and economically scalable across the Caribbean. Littoral Collection Modules (LCMs), attached to artisanal fishing boats, collect <i>Sargassum</i> in nets which are brought to a barge. When full, the barge is towed to the deep ocean where <i>Sargassum</i> is pumped to ~150–200 m depth, whereafter it continues sinking (<i>Sargassum</i> Ocean Sequestration of Carbon; “SOS Carbon”). Costing and negative emissions calculations for this system show cleanup costs <$1/m<sup>3</sup> and emissions reduction potential up to 1.356 → 3.029 tCO2e/dmt <i>Sargassum</i>. COVID-19 decimated Caribbean tourism, adding to the pressures of indebtedness and natural disasters facing the region. The “SOS Carbon strategy” could help the Caribbean “build back better” by establishing a negative emissions industry that builds resilience against <i>Sargassum</i> and flight shame (“flygskam”). Employing fishermen to operate LCMs achieves socioeconomic goals while increasing <i>Sargassum</i> cleanup and avoiding landfilling achieves sustainable development goals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:18:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/136688 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:18:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1366882023-07-19T20:58:34Z Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method Gray, Luke A. Bisonó León, Andres G. Rojas, Folkers E. Veroneau, Samuel S. Slocum, Alexander H. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering <i>Sargassum</i> spp. blooms exacerbated by climate change and agricultural runoff are inundating Caribbean beaches, emitting toxic fumes and greenhouse gases through decomposition. This hurts tourism, artisanal fishing, shore-based industry, human health, standards-of-living, coastal ecology, and the global climate. Barriers, collection machinery, and <i>Sargassum</i> valorization have been unable to provide sufficient, sustainable, or widespread relief. This article presents a total <i>Sargassum</i> management system that is effective, low-impact, and economically scalable across the Caribbean. Littoral Collection Modules (LCMs), attached to artisanal fishing boats, collect <i>Sargassum</i> in nets which are brought to a barge. When full, the barge is towed to the deep ocean where <i>Sargassum</i> is pumped to ~150–200 m depth, whereafter it continues sinking (<i>Sargassum</i> Ocean Sequestration of Carbon; “SOS Carbon”). Costing and negative emissions calculations for this system show cleanup costs <$1/m<sup>3</sup> and emissions reduction potential up to 1.356 → 3.029 tCO2e/dmt <i>Sargassum</i>. COVID-19 decimated Caribbean tourism, adding to the pressures of indebtedness and natural disasters facing the region. The “SOS Carbon strategy” could help the Caribbean “build back better” by establishing a negative emissions industry that builds resilience against <i>Sargassum</i> and flight shame (“flygskam”). Employing fishermen to operate LCMs achieves socioeconomic goals while increasing <i>Sargassum</i> cleanup and avoiding landfilling achieves sustainable development goals. 2021-10-28T12:53:08Z 2021-10-28T12:53:08Z 2021-08-12 2021-08-26T13:27:15Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136688 Phycology 1 (1): 49-75 (2021) PUBLISHER_CC http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/phycology1010004 Creative Commons Attribution https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ application/pdf Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| spellingShingle | Gray, Luke A. Bisonó León, Andres G. Rojas, Folkers E. Veroneau, Samuel S. Slocum, Alexander H. Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title | Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title_full | Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title_fullStr | Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title_short | Caribbean-Wide, Negative Emissions Solution to Sargassum spp. Low-Cost Collection Device and Sustainable Disposal Method |
| title_sort | caribbean wide negative emissions solution to sargassum spp low cost collection device and sustainable disposal method |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136688 |
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