The value of scientific research on the ocean's biological carbon pump

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2020-12, Vol.749, p.141357-141357, Article 141357
• Main Authors: Jin, Di, Hoagland, Porter, Buesseler, Ken O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological carbon pump; Carbon sequestration; Economic value of scientific research; Ecosystem service; Ocean twilight zone; Value of information
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141357

The ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP) sequesters carbon from the surface to the deep ocean and seabed, constituting one of Earth's most valuable ecosystem services. Significant uncertainty exists surrounding the amounts and rates of organic carbon sequestered in the oceans, however. With improved understanding of BCP sequestration, especially its scale, world policymakers would be positioned to make more informed decisions regarding the mitigation of carbon emissions. Here, an analytical model of the economic effects of global carbon emissions—including scientific uncertainty about BCP sequestration—was developed to estimate the value of marine scientific research concerning sequestration. The discounted net economic benefit of a putative 20-year scientific research program to narrow the range of uncertainty around the amount of carbon sequestered in the ocean is on the order of $0.5 trillion (USD), depending upon the accuracy of predictions, the convexities of climate damage and economic output functions, and the initial range of uncertainty. •Ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP) constitutes one of Earth's most valuable ecosystem services.•The value of marine scientific research on BCP carbon sequestration is investigated.•The benefit to narrow the range of uncertainty about ocean carbon sequestration is on the order of $0.5 trillion.•The value is affected by the accuracy of predictions, the economic parameters, and the initial range of uncertainty.