The experiment marks the first of its type in NYC. If scaled up, this method—called enhanced rock weathering—could remove 5% of carbon admissions from the atmosphere worldwide.
This Earth Month, NYU News joined Jonathan Lambert, a Gallatin visiting assistant professor, and Melissa Metrick, the manager of NYU’s Urban Farm Lab, as they created the first enhanced rock weathering site in New York City. To achieve this, they spread 10 pounds of volcanic rock called basalt over a soil bed at the Urban Farm Lab for carbon sequestration.
Enhanced rock weathering is the process by which basalt removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the rocks’ chemical reaction with rainfall. It has been used in recent years as a promising method for removing carbon emissions, and Lambert will evaluate its success at the Urban Farm Lab through monthly sampling for carbon uptake.
"This specific climate solution is usually practiced on large agricultural fields. New Yorkers, therefore, rarely get to see it in action,” says Lambert. “Our goal here is to engage the NYU and New York community with this unique site and provide a window into one of the many new methods that are being scaled up to help mitigate climate change.”
Related Articles
NYU Urban Farm Lab
The NYU Urban Farm Lab is a research and teaching farm located right in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village.
Marathon Nutrition Tips from the Director of NYU Steinhardt’s Food Lab
Conquering 26.2 miles means training your legs and your gut, says Lourdes Castro, registered dietician and adjunct faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.
Nutrition and Food Studies Research Benefits New York Communities
This is the first in a series of articles highlighting how Nutrition and Food Studies faculty are combining research insights and applied expertise to bring positive change to New York City.
