Understanding ecosystem responses
Focus: How marine life and ecosystems react to the trials.
- Marine impact studies: Looking for effects on a wide range of species in tanks at SEA LIFE Weymouth.
- Mesocosm experiments: Using floating containers to mimic ocean conditions.
- Marine ecosystem surveys: Baseline and during-trial checks for unintended consequences.
Testing and Improving the Technology
Focus: How the approach works and how we refine it.
- Ocean alkalinity enhancement trials: Exploring a similar but different approach, where the carbon storage potential of seawater is increased (see longer description below).
- Technology iteration: Developing technology in a lab then trialling at SEA LIFE.
- Scaling up: Increasing water flow and performing larger trials.
- Boat-based trials: Short-term releases to simulate large scale operation.
Tracking What Happens
Focus: Verify effectiveness of carbon removal.
- Multi-season trials: Performing 12 month or longer experiments to see changes across seasons.
- Tracer studies: Following released seawater using visible or invisible 'dyes' in water.
- Data collection: Using boats, buoys, and autonomous vehicles to gather detailed information on water composition and movement.
- Boat-based trials: Short-term releases to simulate large scale operation.