$150K from Google.org Advances Carbon Dioxide Removal Research at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Imagine a world where the large-scale removal of human-generated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) - from fossil fuel use and other emissions - was possible.

This is a world that many researchers, scientists and organizations are already working toward making a reality.

Oceanographer Dustin Carroll, who works for San José State's Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), is one of them. He and his team recently received $150,000 in funding from Google.org , which will go toward vital work in understanding the efficacy of various marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches. This marks the first time that the laboratory has received a contribution from a corporate philanthropic organization for this kind of climate work. It also positions SJSU at the intersection of public university research, federal supercomputing and corporate philanthropy, contributing to efforts to address global climate challenges.

"The project is an exciting blend of engineering and science," says Carroll. "The goal is to use the ocean to sequester or store carbon dioxide that we're putting in the atmosphere through our emissions and other anthropogenic activities."

The ocean already acts as a massive carbon reservoir, and has absorbed roughly 37% of industrial-era fossil fuel CO 2 emissions to date. The weathering of terrestrial minerals brings alkalinity to the ocean via rivers, which then reacts with and neutralizes CO 2 in the ocean and counteracts acidification; however, this process is very slow.

Researchers like Carroll have been working to determine how to enhance what the ocean already does naturally - by accelerating the natural dissolution rate and thereby increasing the rate at which the ocean can absorb CO 2 without further acidification. With the new funding from Google, Carroll will use computer ocean models to test the efficacy and potential ecosystem consequences of a different method to capture CO 2 in the ocean - fertilizing the surface ocean with iron. Ocean iron fertilization was first proposed by John Martin , director of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories from 1976-1993.

Sarah Smith is an assistant professor of biological oceanography at MLML, who will soon be collaborating on the mCDR project. "Adding very small amounts of iron to the ocean can stimulate ocean biology in a way that helps move carbon into the deep ocean, essentially boosting a process earth already uses to regulate climate," says Smith.

Although CO 2 removal technologies are not a replacement for human emissions, carbon dioxide removal is needed in addition to decarbonization of the industry, as emission reductions alone are not sufficient in stabilizing temperatures.

NASA Supercomputers

At present, marine carbon removal is in its early stages, with various forms of research and projects being initiated by universities, climate tech start-ups, investors and government agencies.

"In an attempt to slow or abate climate change, engineers and scientists are coming up with ideas on how we can durably store even more of that carbon dioxide in the ocean," says Carroll. "These methods also can have environmental co-benefits, such as stabilizing ocean pH and reducing stress on shellfish. And for this project, we're using advanced computer models that we helped develop in partnership with NASA."

Carroll is referring to the ECCO-Darwin ocean biogeochemistry model and Pleiades Supercomputer , an intricate and sophisticated computing system operated by NASA at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

"Instead of just using your laptop, imagine that you could use thousands of computers and the processors in them, all linked together in a way where they talk to each other and communicate. Our models require millions and millions of mathematical computations," says Carroll. "The NASA supercomputers help us understand how the ocean is changing over the entire globe."

With the help of Pleiades, Carroll and his team , which includes oceanographers Raphaël Savelli and Dimitris Menemenlis, hope to find new ways to develop advanced technology for marine carbon dioxide removal and understand the potential risks and benefits of ocean iron fertilization. In the future, Carroll anticipates supporting and being involved in different field trials, in which he'd go out into the ocean to test engineering approaches to sequester carbon dioxide and measure its impact on ocean chemistry.

Building Momentum Through Collaboration

Along with their funding support, researchers at Google are also interested in understanding how the ECCO-Darwin model can advance mCDR research. "We're excited to support this work and learn more about the ability of models to predict carbon cycles and impacts on ecosystems in response to various proposed mCDR technologies including ocean alkalinity enhancement and iron fertilization," says Michael Tyka, a staff research scientist at Google. "We're keen to understand better if these technologies provide durable carbon storage or only provide temporary CO 2 removal."

Along with the funding support from Google.org, Ocean Visions, a nonprofit conservation organization, has given a gift of $150,000 to go toward the marine carbon dioxide project.

Since 2019, Carroll has had 16 NASA and National Science Foundation (NSF) projects funded, which span a range of oceanography projects.

To do this work, Carroll and his team collaborate with researchers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and MIT, among other institutions. He also works with the Climate Foundation and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

"The projects include funding for other partners," says Carroll. "These collaborators have incredible scientific expertise that they can provide for our projects. Globally, we're usually a team of about 15 people - professors, researchers and graduate students - who are working on ocean modeling projects together as a team."

One of Carroll's favorite projects is focused on understanding how rivers influence the ocean, which is funded by NASA's Carbon Monitoring System program .

"Major rivers like the Amazon or Mississippi have a large impact on the chemistry and biology in the ocean," says Carroll. "And I love that connection point. Because I have the opportunity to collaborate with amazing scientists who work on both land and ocean topics."

Carroll also does field work in Antarctica and Alaska. He has ventured to Greenland seven times, where he goes out on a ship to study how melting glaciers and the ocean interact.

"The glaciers in Greenland are melting rapidly, which can have a large effect on the coastal ocean, phytoplankton, and fisheries, all of which are important resources for Greenland's socioeconomic prosperity," says Carroll.

In the months ahead, Carroll is looking forward to delving deeper into the marine carbon dioxide removal project, and he and his team are ecstatic to be able to work with industry partners like Google.