The Town of Southampton is implementing a beach nourishment project to replenish sand at North Sea Beach. The project includes Coastal Carbon Capture that will advance climate science research.

The North Sea Beach Colony-Beach Erosion Control District (NSCB-BECD) of the Town of Southampton has the necessary permits to complete the NSBC-BECD Beach Restoration Project.

This phase of the NSBC-BECD consists of using dredged sand from North Sea Harbor Inlet and transporting 10,000 cubic yards of it to nourish the 1,400 feet frontage of North Sea Beach Colony. Then, 500 cubic yards of additional olivine sand will be placed onto the North Sea Beach Colony frontage. Olivine sand will only require 1-2 days to place.‍

This method of olivine placement for carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal is called Coastal Carbon Capture - a new technique inspired by Coastal Enhanced Weathering which accelerates the Earth’s natural process for removing atmospheric CO₂.

The primary objective of the NSBC-BECD is to replenish the sand lost through erosion, making use of the dredged sand from North Sea harbor inlet.

Olivine is a naturally abundant mineral that can be found locally in New York. When it dissolves in seawater, it removes atmospheric CO₂. Hence, the secondary objective is to study the dissolution of olivine sand in seawater to determine how quickly CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere.

Monitor environmental effects of olivine placement.

Olivine is a common, naturally occurring silicate mineral (Mg₂SiO₄) similar to quartz sand (SiO₂). Like all sand, olivine dissolves over decades in a natural process called mineral weathering.

For example, the Palisades Sill in New York contains a 30 ft section called the "olivine rich zone" (OZR) where olivine is abundantly found.

Unlike other sand, olivine removes atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) as it dissolves in water and permanently stores it in the ocean as alkalinity.

For billions of years, olivine has been naturally and slowly removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Coastal Carbon Capture speeds up the process.

Olivine is an abundant natural mineral with the capacity to help coastal communities meet the challenges of climate change.

A carbon-removing project removes more CO₂ than it emits, meaning it will have an overall beneficial effect on the climate.

There are CO₂ emissions associated with the project, for example from dredging the sand and deploying the olivine.

We anticipate that the olivine will remove more CO₂ from the atmosphere than the emissions from the project. The specific amount will be determined through our science program.

For further reading, check out the 27 East article featuring the project.