Ten thousand feet below the Pacific's waves, 100 miles off the coast of Monterey, California, a large dollop of carbon dioxide spills over the edge of a beaker and lands on the ocean floor. But a camera in a vehicle nearby tracks the gas as it flows like transparent molasses and gradually rolls away into the frigid sea.
Peter Brewer, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, watches a video of this experiment over and over to see what ultimately happens to liquefied carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean. As it turns out, the gas dissolves slowly enough so it doesn't bother sea life but quickly enough so it doesn't form puddles that might prove ecologically disruptive.
This simple demonstration may contain the cure that will save the planet from a nasty fever. Every year, humans churn out 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide, almost all of which goes straight into the atmosphere. Most scientists agree this outpouring contributes to global warming, which could eventually lead to coastal flooding, extreme weather, and widespread crop loss. But with the Bush administration focused on increasing energy supplies from fossil fuels, and with rapid development in China and other nations, global CO2 emissions are likely to keep rising. Brewer and others like him are trying to find a way to lock away carbon dioxide where it can do no harm.
