WHOI Board Chair Paul Salem Gives $25 Million for Ocean-based Climate Solutions
needed to avoid exceeding the 2°C warming threshold laid down in the Paris Climate Agreement. In addition, methods that leverage the ocean’s chemical and biological processes could, if proven and deployed at-scale, supplement these efforts, but only if humanity also rapidly cuts greenhouse gas emissions.Recent funding announcements signal a long overdue shift in attention into the role of the ocean in addressing climate change. Last year’s U.N. Climate Conference in Dubai, COP28, saw nearly $500 million in new ocean and climate-related funding commitments from sources including
TechnipFMC Bags $1B Contract with Petrobras
project,” said Luana Duffé, Executive Vice President, New Energy at TechnipFMC.HISEP technologies enable the capture of CO2-rich dense gases directly from the well stream, moving part of the separation process from the topside platform to the sea floor.In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity, HISEP technologies increase production capacity by debottlenecking the topside gas processing plant. These technologies are supported by Petrobras and its partners in the Libra Consortium.The Libra Consortium consists of Petrobras as operator (38.6%), Shell Brasil Petró
Frozen Methane Under the Seabed is Thawing – And It's Worse Than We Thought
Buried beneath the oceans surrounding continents is a naturally occurring frozen form of methane and water. Sometimes dubbed “fire-ice” as you can literally set light to it, marine methane hydrate can melt as the climate warms, uncontrollably releasing methane – a potent greenhouse gas – into the ocean and possibly the atmosphere.Colleagues and I have just published research showing more of this methane hydrate is vulnerable to warming than previously thought. This is a worry as that hydrate contains about as much carbon as all of the remaining oil and gas on Earth.Releasing
Maersk and The Ocean Cleanup Forge Ahead in Plastic Capture
collection and transportation for recycling. At the same time, the A.P. Moller Foundation will provide a one-time grant to The Ocean Cleanup.The system validation is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024 and will include an environmental review of the impact of plastic pollution versus the greenhouse gas emissions of the vessels involved. When the technology and system have been validated, The Ocean Cleanup said it believeed it would be able to raise support from the public, governments, and other foundations to significantly scale up the operation from 2025 onwards.Boyan Slat, founder and CEO
Canadian Coast Guard Orders Hybrid Research Vessel
, well-paying jobs, but will directly and indirectly boost the economy of the entire region."Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the NSFRV features a hybrid propulsion system with a battery bank and an energy-efficient electrical and deck equipment systems. The vessel will emit significant less greenhouse gas than a non-hybrid configuration and is able to perform some low speed operations on battery for 30-60 minutes per day. In addition, the batteries can support overnight operations to avoid using generators in harbor, and in so doing generate less pollution and ambient noise.Jean-David Samuel,
Aker BP Taps Multiconsult for Yggdrasil Power from Shore Project Work
of this project, and we are excited that Aker BP has given us the opportunity to contribute further into the execution phase of the project. Multiconsult is currently engaged in multiple projects related to electrification and on this project, Multiconsult will contribute to ensuring minimal greenhouse gas emissions from the Yggdrasil area," says Jarle Søberg, Senior Vice President, Projects - Multiconsult Norge AS. The concept includes a new transformer station at Børdalen in Samnanger, a new 11-kilometer powerline in Samnanger, a compensation station at Årskog in
Singapore to Expand Ocean CO2 Removal Project as Scientists Call for More Research
hope can play a decisive role in the global battle against climate change.As scientists call for more research into ocean carbon dioxide removal (OCDR), PUB, Singapore's national water agency, has built a plant that uses electricity to extract CO2 from seawater, allowing it to absorb more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere when it is pumped back out into the ocean.The project, built at a desalination facility on Singapore's western coast, extracts 100 kilograms of CO2 a day using technology designed by U.S. firm Equatic, founded by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles
The Heroic Effort to Save Florida’s Coral Reef from Devastating Ocean Heat
appear white – bleached – because their carbonate skeleton shows through their clear tissue that lack any colorful algal cells.Corals can recover new algal symbionts if water conditions return to normal within a few weeks. However, the increase in global temperatures due to the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is causing longer and more frequent periods of coral bleaching worldwide, leading to concerns for the future of coral reefs.A MASH unit for coralsThis year, the Florida Keys reached an alert level 2, indicating extreme risk of bleaching, about six weeks earlier
The Barrier Reef is Still in Hot Water
reef resilient?Yes – to a point. But after that point, the coral communities collapse. The world is having its hottest days on record. Coupled with a likely El Niño, the reef will likely face the hottest waters yet.PHOTOThat’s because we still haven’t tackled the root cause. Greenhouse gas emissions are still going up. Year on year, we’re trapping more heat, of which 90% goes into the oceans. Antarctic sea ice is not reforming as it should after last summer. Coral restoration efforts in the United States had to literally pull their baby corals out of the sea to try to keep