Some fraction of the deployed biomass may not successfully sink to a depth for long-term storage. This could be a result of biomass being shed or consumed during the sinking process, which is a function of biomass type, sinking configuration, and sinking velocity. Physical biomass loss during sinking should therefore be quantified for the specific biomass type and sinking configuration utilized based on field observations. For biomass that sinks after some period of floating in the open ocean (e.g. biomass-based buoys), the possibility that biomass may end up being beached or sinking in areas that do not result in permanent storage (e.g. shallow waters or areas of upwelling) must also be considered. Modeling this behavior is likely to be challenging due to the difficulty of mimicking the free-floating behavior of biomass with monitoring equipment. Negligible uncertainty is likely only achieved in cases where biomass sinking is active and rapid.