The survey will close Friday 6 October 2023

This working group is conducting a survey to understand the GOA-ON community’s interest and involvement in Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (oCDR; also often referred to as marine CDR or mCDR). The information generated by this survey will help the GOA-ON Working Group to address and understand the rising interest in oCDR within the GOA-ON community and allow us to be responsive to the larger community relative to GOA-ON’s expertise and capabilities.

Avoiding catastrophic climate change and ocean acidification will require innovative solutions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that all pathways to cap global warming to the 1.5°C warming must employ negative emission technologies, or carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. The ocean can hold up to 42 times more carbon than the land and therefore presents a strong opportunity for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Furthermore, marine CDR (mCDR) technologies might also have potential to mitigate ocean acidification.

GOA-ON recognizes the increasing interest in ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (oCDR) efforts around the world. As a global community of over 1,000 researchers and decision makers in ocean acidification, GOA-ON’s collective expertise can make a critical contribution to ensuring responsible, sustainable, and accountable oCDR research is conducted. Importantly, GOA-ON recognises the need for safe implementation of oCDR, and the network's expertise - which include carbon cycle monitoring and understanding, biological impact assessments, and modeling - can aid in the evaluation and efficacy of oCDR in terms of risks and benefits to ecosystems and societies.

1. Advise the Executive Council on matters relating to GOA-ON’s involvement with oCDR research activities and policy engagement.
2. Facilitate and promote the involvement of GOA-ON members in oCDR activities to ensure the appropriate inclusion of ocean acidification expertise in oCDR activities (research and policy).
3. Generation of oCDR informational products based on the ocean acidification expertise within the GOA-ON network.

oCDR Terms of Reference

The IPCC’s AR6 WG III CDR Factsheet Outlines techniques that can contribute to removal of carbon dioxide through marine environments

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Research Strategy on Ocean-Based CDR Presents an extensive study about different oCDR techniques

NOAA’s CDR Strategy Describes how NOAA’s existing assets align with oCDR research needs thereby outlining the potential role of NOAA in the future of oCDR

Ocean Visions’ Roadmaps for mCDR Showcases the state of research and challenges for a number of oCDR pathways to accelerate testing and development

The Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Methods Outlines techniques that can contribute to removal of carbon dioxide through marine environments

Precautionary Principles for Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Research A position statement from a collective of environmental NGO’s calling for precautionary research

Position statement from AGU on oCDR

Ethical framework from AGU on oCDR

Map of Geoengineering Locations Map displaying on-going projects, including but not limited to CDR, around the world

Chair

• Helen Findlay
  Plymouth Marine Laboratory
  UK
  hefi@pml.ac.uk

Members

• Dick Feely
  NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
  USA
• Libby Jewett
  NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  USA
• Sam Dupont
  University of Gothenburg
  Sweden and IAEA OA-ICC
  Monaco
• Gabby Kitch
  NOAA Ocean Acidification Program
  USA
• Kalina Grabb
  GOA-ON Secretariat and NOAA Ocean Acidification Program
  USA

We are looking for new members! If you are interested in joining the working group or have questions, please email the GOA-ON Secretariat: secretariat@goa-on.org