In a move that’s raising alarm, researchers have poured 65,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the Gulf of Maine, claiming it’s a step toward combating climate change through geoengineering.
With unknown effects on marine life, many are worried this experiment reeks of tinkering that could backfire.
The trial, dubbed the LOC-NESS project, took place off the Massachusetts coast last August, with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution leading the charge.
They argue that boosting ocean alkalinity could suck more CO2 from the atmosphere, turning it into harmless baking soda.
Yet, as globalist agendas push these unproven fixes, freedom-loving skeptics see it as another layer of control over nature without public consent.
Over four days, the team added the alkaline chemical, tagged with red dye for tracking, to waters 50 miles off Boston. “These early results demonstrate that small-scale OAE deployments can be engineered, tracked, and monitored with high precision,” said principal investigator Adam Subhas of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. “We need independent, transparent research to determine which solutions might work.”
The method, known as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), aims to mimic and accelerate the ocean’s natural CO2 absorption.
As the document details, the oceans already trap around 38,000 billion tonnes of CO2 as dissolved sodium bicarbonate. By resetting the pH with sodium hydroxide, the scientists boosted it from 7.95 to 8.3—matching pre-industrial levels—and measured 10 tonnes of carbon entering the water immediately.
In the best-case scenario, they estimate the dump could absorb about 50 tonnes of carbon over a year, equivalent to the yearly emissions of five average citizens.
But that’s a drop in the bucket compared to industrial outputs, and it doesn’t address the hypocrisy of governments preaching emission cuts while funding these chemical interventions.
Critics aren’t buying the hype. Gareth Cunningham, Director of Conservation and Policy at the Marine Conservation Society, told the Daily Mail: “These approaches are resource-intensive and their ecological impacts are still poorly understood.” He added: “Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement is a short-term fix that doesn’t address the behaviours driving climate change and ocean acidification.”
The experiment found no negative impacts on plankton, fish, and lobster larvae, according to PhD student Rachel Davitt from Rutgers University, who helped lead the ecological assessment: “Based on the biological and ecological impact data that we have collected and analysed so far, there was no significant impact of the LOC-NESS field trial on the biological community using the metrics we measured.” But effects on adult fish weren’t even assessed, leaving a glaring gap in a region vital for lobster, cod, and haddock fishing.
This isn’t the first time alkalinity tweaks have been tried—Scandinavian rivers got limed in the 1980s to combat acid rain, reviving salmon populations. Yet scaling OAE up would mean dumping billions of tonnes of chemicals annually, releasing trace metals that could poison ecosystems.
Recent studies warn of risks to species growth, metabolism, and biodiversity, while excessive alkalinity might harm seagrasses crucial for marine habitats.
This ocean dump comes amid growing resistance to geoengineering schemes that smack of playing God with the planet.
As we previously covered, a U.S. bill introduced last month aims to outright ban geoengineering activities nationwide. H.R. 7452, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), would criminalize atmospheric dispersal of chemicals or biological agents for weather modification, including geoengineering, cloud seeding, and solar radiation management.
That legislation defines weather modification broadly as “any injection, release, emission, or dispersal of a chemical substance, a biological agent, or an air pollutant… into the atmosphere” that alters weather, climate, or sunlight. Violators could face up to $100,000 fines and five years in prison per offense. It even repeals existing federal authorities for such programs and bans federally funded research into them.
The bill’s backers point to covert operations already underway, as a 2023 White House report admitted the U.S. “conducts or funds limited research into solar radiation modification.” With commercial jets contributing to lingering contrails that form cloud cover—per FAA, NASA, and NOAA admissions—the push for bans highlights how these experiments evade accountability.
Critics of OAE echo the bill’s concerns: it doesn’t solve emissions but adds residues that could devastate marine life. As Cunningham noted, restoring natural habitats like seagrass and shellfish reefs offers a “more sustainable solution by helping buffer acidification while improving water quality, protecting coastlines and supporting marine life.”
Broader geoengineering strategies, from afforestation in deserts to artificial ocean upwelling and iron fertilization, carry their own drawbacks—like unintended warming or rapid climate shifts if halted.
Solar radiation management via sulphate aerosols could cool the planet but lets CO2 build up unchecked.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
More news on our radar
