Module 8: Biotic Ocean CDR
This first of two modules on Ocean CDR focuses on biotic solutions, which use marine photosynthesis by seaweed, microalgae, or phytoplankton to create organic carbon, using up CO2 in the surface ocean and thus causing the ocean to take up more CO2 from the atmosphere. This requires solving hard problems like providing sufficient nutrients to allow these organisms to grow, and approaches like artificial upwelling of nutrients from the deep ocean or fertilizing the ocean with limiting nutrients like iron are being considered. These approaches also face the difficult question of how much permanent the carbon storage will be, since ocean dynamics can be hard to predict. Enjoy learning!
High Flyer
1. Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Climateworks
A five minute introduction to the logic behind a wide variety of carbon removal methods. We'll go deep into a lot of these in the next two modules.
Video - 5 min
2. Marine Ecosystem Restoration
Ocean Visions
An overview of how we can restore so called "blue carbon" ecosystems, including mangroves and seagrasses, to have tangible carbon removal and other environmental benefits.
Website - 10 min
Ocean Visions
Another overview from Ocean Visions, this article discusses how we can grow seaweed biomass, potentially on the open ocean, to remove gigatons of CO2.
Website - 10 min
4. The Plan to Fertilize the Ocean With IRON
Atlas Pro
Learn the basics behind another idea to use biology in the ocean to remove carbon, adding limiting nutrients to stimulate production (carbon fixation) from marine phytoplankton. Controversial, but worth learning about.
Video - 15 min
Climate Student
Video - 26 min
5. Emily Pidgeon – Blue Carbon
Salk Institute
A deeper dive into blue carbon ecosystems, from the carbon stores within them to the ecosystem services they provide to what restoration might look like and relevant current research being done around the world.
Video - 69 min
6. Running Tide with Marty Odlin (2023 Update)
This is CDR
Running Tide is the best known startup trying to commercialize the seaweed CDR approach, using robots and microfarms to scale up the approach. Learn about the implementation details and questions about the underlying science from Marty Odlin, Running Tide’s CEO.
Report - 25 min
8. Negative Emissions: Artificial Upwelling
OCB 2021, David Koweek
Another idea is to use pumps to bring up nutrients from the deep ocean to the surface to stimulate more production. David Koweek talks about the science behind this here.
Video - 15 min
9. Nutrient Fertilization - Challenges and Opportunities
The National Academies
Returning to nutrient fertilization, this presentation discusses the controversial history of iron fertilzation experiments, how effective it might be, and knowledge gaps with the approach.
Video - 30 min
7. Mapping seaweed farming potential
Carbon Plan
Carbon Plan recently releaseed an explainer and longer scientific paper that expresses some more skepticism towards seaweed sequestration as a concept. They lay out their concerns here.
Climate Master
10. Playlist: Ocean-based negative emissions technologies
OCB 2021
Watch the rest of the playlist from the OCB2021 conference, and especially check out the videos on ocean afforestation, iron fertilization, and ocean CDR storage permanence.
Video - 120 min
11. Macroalgae Cultivation and Carbon Sequestration Roadmap
Ocean Visions
The nonprofit Ocean Visions has created detailed roadmaps for a variety of ocean carbon removal approaches that we'll see in next module. For now, check out the one about seaweed sequestration.
Website - 45 min
12. The Potential of Artificial Ocean Upwelling and Downwelling in Carbon Dioxide Removal
Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy
More information on both marine permaculture (from Brian von Herzen) and downwelling (from David Koweek).
Video - 60 min
13. Seaweed Cultivation: Opportunities and Challenges
National Academy of Sciences
An in depth, detailed tour of what will be required for macroalgae cultivation at scale, from challenges with offshore farming to business models to climate risk to upwelling. The panel has a huge amount of combined expertise from science to implementation, so consider this a masterclass in seaweed cultivation as a CDR solution.
Video - 90 min