The test will take place in water nearly 3000 feet deep over a period of about two weeks.
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas.
Increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are suspected of trapping more of the Earth's radiated energy thus causing a gradual warming of the Earth's surface and potentially disastrous climatic changes. CO 2 ocean sequestration is one method being explored to control the build-up of CO 2 in the atmosphere. The goals of' this proposed experiment are foremost to gather data in the vicinity of the CO 2 injection point to improve our understanding of the basic physical phenomena and to apply this data to refine the accuracy of predictive computer models that are needed to valuate environmental impacts. Model validation is a first and necessary step to assess the physical chemical and environmental effects of CO 2 sequestration in the deep ocean. The proposed experiment is scheduled for the Summer of 2000 or the Summer of 2001.