Can the Ocean Save Us from Climate Change? NOAA Researching Options for CO2 Storage

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​The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has teamed up with the nonprofit Carbon to Sea Initiative to create guidelines for innovative projects focused on storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean. This three-year collaboration will aim to establish consistent standards for data collection and analysis to accelerate progress in the rapidly advancing field of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).

As the impacts of climate change intensify, scientists are exploring ways to remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere and safely store it. The ocean, which already absorbs a significant portion of CO2 emissions globally, plays a crucial role in this process.

The 2024 U.S. National Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Strategy highlights that while the ocean is not immune to the adverse effects of climate change, it also holds significant potential to help combat the climate crisis, stating, "Technologies may be able to harness the potential of the ocean to accelerate natural carbon removal from the atmosphere while supporting economic development, sustaining the livelihoods of local communities, conserving natural resources and biodiversity, and potentially helping to address impacts like acidification."

Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) focuses on enhancing the ocean’s natural ability to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in deep waters or sediments, where it is unlikely to re-enter the atmosphere. The ocean currently absorbs about one-third of human-made CO2 emissions, serving as a critical carbon sink with the capacity to hold far more carbon than soils and land biota combined.

Scientists are exploring several mCDR methods, such as artificial downwelling, macroalgae cultivation, and ocean alkalinity enhancement, all aimed at increasing the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon. Although these methods show promise, they remain in the experimental phase, requiring further research to ensure they are both effective and environmentally safe.

The new project will focus on standardizing data management practices to assess the efficiency, scalability, and environmental impacts of these techniques. The resulting guidelines will support ongoing research funded by NOAA and Carbon to Sea while establishing a global framework for scientists working in this emerging area.

“As we confront the growing challenges of climate change, it’s crucial that we have robust and consistent methods for managing and sharing data in emerging fields like marine carbon dioxide removal,” said Steve Thur, Ph.D., NOAA assistant administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

Carbon to Sea, with its expertise in ocean science and community-led data development, will lead the creation of best practices, with NOAA contributing decades of experience in carbon cycle research and environmental data management.

“Given the urgency of the climate challenge we face, this partnership with NOAA is an important step towards responsibly assessing the viability of mCDR” said Antonius Gagern, Executive Director of the Carbon to Sea Initiative.

This partnership builds on NOAA’s long-standing efforts to monitor the Earth’s carbon cycle and its involvement in national carbon removal strategies. Storing CO2 in the ocean is seen as one element of a broader solution to limit global warming to 1.5°C, alongside reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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