Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

Prof. Scott Doney

Joe D. and Helen J. Kington Professor in Environmental Change

Dept. of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia

Monday March 31, 2025, 2 PM ET

Abstract:

Scenarios to stabilize global climate and meet international climate agreements require rapid reductions in human carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, often augmented by substantial carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere. While some ocean-based removal techniques show potential promise as part of a broader CDR and decarbonization portfolio, no marine approach is ready yet for deployment at scale because of gaps in both scientific and engineering knowledge. Marine CDR spans a wide range of biotic and abiotic methods, with both common and technique-specific limitations. Further targeted research is needed on CDR efficacy, permanence, and additionality as well as on robust validation methods—measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification—that are essential to demonstrate the safe removal and long-term storage of CO2. Engineering studies are needed on constraints including scalability, costs, resource inputs, energy demands, and technical readiness. Research on possible co-benefits, ocean acidification effects, environmental and social impacts, and governance is also required.

Biosketch:

Scott Doney is the inaugural Joe D. and Helen J. Kington Professor in Environmental Change in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA). His research spans oceanography, climate, carbon cycle, and biogeochemistry using a combination of field data, satellite remote sensing, and numerical models. Before joining UVA, he was a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He also served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He holds a BA in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a PhD in chemical oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

Webinar:

Event site: https://go.umd.edu/doney

Zoom Webinar: https://go.umd.edu/doneywebinar

Zoom Meeting ID: 990 1986 6027
Zoom password: essic

US Toll: +13017158592
Global call-in numbers: https://umd.zoom.us/u/aMElEpvNu

For IT assistance:
Cazzy Medley: cazzy@umd.edu

Resources:

Seminar schedule & archive: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminar

Seminar Google calendar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarcalendar

Seminar recordings on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ESSICUMD