In the new research mission CDRmare of the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM), starting in 2021, researchers will investigate how and to what extent the ocean can play an essential role in the removal and storage of CO₂ from the atmosphere and thus contribute to keeping climate change within the limits set by the Paris Agreement. Six collaborative research consortiawill investigate different methods of marine CO₂ removal and storage (alkalinization, blue carbon, artificial upwelling, CCS) in terms of their potential and risks. The research mission will thus provide an important decision-making aid in the development of the climate strategy.

Scientists from 14 institutions in six countries are working on the opportunities and risks of ocean-based technologies for negative emissions within the framework of the EU-funded OceanNETs project coordinated by GEOMAR. Until now, such negative emission technologies (NETs) had been discussed mainly for the mainland. Knowledge about ocean-based NETs remains limited, despite the fact that the ocean has a high capacity for carbon uptake and storage simply because of its surface area and volume. The goal is to find out whether ocean-based NETs can play a significant and sustainable role in achieving climate neutrality as defined by the Paris Climate Agreement. It will also explore what impact they can have on policy, economy and society.