India, Sept. 29 -- Somewhere in open waters, there's a ship pouring a bright pink stream into the sea. It might sound like a movie stunt, but it was a permitted science trial. In August 2025, researchers released 16,500 gallons of highly purified sodium hydroxide, also called lye, into the Gulf of Maine. Preliminary results from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution suggest the water absorbed more carbon. The team also found no measurable effect on the ocean life it took samples from.

The ocean absorbs a huge amount of the carbon dioxide people release, which helps slow warming but also makes the water more acidic, a change that can harm shellfish and other sea life. Scientists are testing a remedy called ocean alkalinity enhancement....