Removal of CO2 by Sea Floor Subduction

by Ruth Barthle

Submitted : Fall 2013

The purpose of this paper is to utilize calculus to find the amount of sea floor that is being subducted in the Pacific Ocean region. With subduction zones having varying rates of subduction, the calculus method used was a definite integral to find the exact amount of sea floor subducted in meters cubed per year. Each subduction zone was calculated individually for the volume of subduction then totaled together. The amount of sea floor subducted in a year was then be used to find the amount of CO₂ removed from the ocean in grams. The amount of CO₂ that was removed was found to be 255,319.06 grams per year. Knowing this amount is important because of the significance that CO₂ has on the environment and knowing precise values is helpful when creating an effort to reduce CO₂.

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