Artificial Upwelling and Ecosystem Engineering in Marine Systems

Artificial upwelling and ecosystem engineering encompass a suite of ocean interventions designed to manipulate water circulation, nutrient availability and biotic communities to enhance marine productivity, mitigate climate change and restore ecosystem function. By mechanically or energetically bringing nutrient-rich deep water into sunlit surface layers, artificial upwelling fuels phytoplankton growth, strengthens the biological carbon pump and may indirectly bolster fishery yields. Complementary approaches—such as targeted oxygenation of hypoxic zones, seaweed cultivation in coastal mariculture and electrochemical nutrient release—seek to engineer habitats for improved biogeochemical cycling, sediment ventilation and carbon sequestration. Collectively, these methods aim to reinforce natural processes that sequester carbon and maintain oxygen balance, while recognising potential trade-offs such as altered remineralisation depths, shifts in community composition and local changes in pH and gas exchange. Recent advances have focused on optimising delivery modes, assessing ecosystem response times and evaluating the net efficacy of carbon removal in different climatic scenarios. As research moves from laboratory and mesocosm trials to pilot-scale deployments, understanding the interplay between physical forcing, nutrient dynamics and trophic interactions remains central to ensuring that engineered interventions deliver tangible benefits without unintended consequences.

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Artificial Upwelling and Ecosystem Engineering in Marine Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in artificial upwelling and ecosystem engineering in marine systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biological Carbon Pump: The process by which marine organisms fix carbon dioxide into organic matter and transport it from surface waters to the deep ocean.

Solubility Pump: The physical-chemical mechanism by which CO₂ dissolves in surface waters and is transported to depth through changes in temperature and salinity.

Mesocosm: A controlled experimental enclosure that simulates natural environmental conditions to study ecological and biogeochemical processes at intermediate scales.

Net Community Production (NCP): The balance between organic carbon production by photosynthesis and its consumption by respiration within a defined community over time.

Particulate Organic Carbon (POC): Organic compounds in particulate form that sink through the water column, serving as a key vector for carbon export to the deep ocean.

References

1. Electrochemical ocean iron fertilization and alkalinity enhancement approach toward CO2 sequestration. npj Ocean Sustainability (2024).
2. Artificial Upwelling—A Refined Narrative. Geophysical Research Letters (2023).
3. Effect of Intensity and Mode of Artificial Upwelling on Particle Flux and Carbon Export. Frontiers in Marine Science (2021).
4. Energy Management and Operational Planning of an Ecological Engineering for Carbon Sequestration in Coastal Mariculture Environments in China. Sustainability (2019).
5. Artificial Upwelling in Singular and Recurring Mode: Consequences for Net Community Production and Metabolic Balance. Frontiers in Marine Science (2022).