Deep Ocean Water Resources in the 21st Century

AbstractArtificial upwelling could enhance the ocean food web and help restore depleted marine life at all trophic levels. The primary technical challenge of artificial upwelling is devising site-specific strategies to retain as much of the nutrients contained in deep ocean water at higher concentrations than the background for as long as possible in the photic zone. Recent experiments and analyses have helped to move the concept forward, but substantial work remains to be undertaken. Here, we discuss some long-time-horizon, large-scale concepts involving utilization of deep ocean water for energy and mariculture that could require or result in the geo-engineering of large areas in the ocean.