eCoral: How\nElectrolysis Could Restore Seawater Conditions\nIdeal for Coral Reefs

Coral reefs suffer\nfrom climate change, including long-term ocean\nacidification (OA) and warming and short-term bleaching, tropical\nstorms, and pollution events, all of which are increasing in frequency\nand severity. It is urgent yet unclear how to intervene to save coral\nreefs. Reversal of the ocean pH to preindustrial levels could restore\ncoral reefs to their preindustrial growth rates; however, strategies\nto reverse OA on environmentally relevant scales have not been established.\nAnecdotally, electrolysis seems to help coral reefs recover from acidification\nand short-term events, but few uncontrolled studies support such claims.\nHere, using two independent continuum simulation approaches (COMSOL\nand CrunchFlow), we show the effect of electrolysis on seawater chemistry\nrelevant to coral reef survival and growth. We conclude that near\nthe negative electrodes, the cathodes, seawater pH, supersaturation,\nand carbonate concentration all increase significantly. Electrolysis\nof seawater, therefore, can be used to restore preindustrial ocean\nconditions locally to save coral reefs, an approach termed eCoral\nhere. We anticipate these simulation results to be the starting point\nfor controlled experiments to test whether seawater electrolysis promotes\ncoral reef growth and restoration, as these simulations predict.