WASHINGTON: Commercial activities that damage sea floors are disrupting the oceans’ natural carbon capture capacity, with more research needed on their impact on carbon dioxide absorption, according to a new study on Friday.

Scientists estimate around 30 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by humans is absorbed by the oceans, playing a crucial role in climate regulation and reducing the rate of global warming.

“There’s a lot of attention now to marine carbon dioxide removal,” said Sebastiaan van de Velde, the lead author of the study published in the journal Science Advances, in an interview.

“But we’re not asking the question, ‘What are we doing already that’s maybe not helping or reducing the oceans’ capacity to absorb CO2?’” he continued. To research this, his team created models to simulate the impacts of bottom trawling and dredging — two commercial activities that disrupt the seabed — on the oceans’ CO2 absorption.

The analyses found multiple ways in which the practices reduce the alkalinity of the water, limiting the amount of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025