Leading the way in
large-scale ecosystem development.
Capturing Carbon Dioxide through Calcifying Organisms
Leading the way in ecosystem-based carbon sequestration, we focus on the powerful role of calcifying organisms in climate resilience. By supporting the growth of these organisms, we not only enhance marine biodiversity but also harness their ability to build carbon-storing calcium carbonate structures. For long-term carbon sequestration, it’s essential that these calcium carbonate formations are buried within ocean sediments, where they can effectively lock away carbon dioxide. This twofold approach—supporting ecosystem growth while ensuring carbon remains stored—embodies our mission to foster sustainable, large-scale environmental balance.
Why Large-Scale Marine Ecosystem Construction is Optimal for Carbon Capture
This large-scale ecosystem approach to carbon capture not only supports climate resilience through natural, multi-layered carbon storage but also enhances biodiversity and stabilizes marine habitats essential for thriving ocean health.
Filtration and Nutrient Cycling
Filter-feeding organisms within engineered marine ecosystems pump vast quantities of water through their systems, trapping carbon-rich particles, and removing excess nutrients. This natural filtration process captures carbon from phytoplankton and organic particles, reducing overall carbon concentrations in ocean waters and directly facilitating atmospheric carbon dioxide drawdown.
Carbon Sequestration through Calcification
Many calcifying species incorporate carbon into their calcium carbonate structures. These shells and skeletons act as long-term carbon sinks, where carbon is stored in a mineralized form. When large numbers of these organisms are supported in ecosystem structures, their shells and skeletons, which consist significantly of carbon, become buried within sediments over time, effectively sequestering carbon for geological timescales.
Sediment Carbon Storage
Organisms in marine ecosystems contribute to sediment formation by processing and digesting organic matter, resulting in carbon-rich deposits that sink to the ocean floor. As calcified structures accumulate and bury within sediments, these areas can develop substantial limestone beds, locking away carbon within natural “carbon banks.”
Creation of Complex, Resilient Marine Habitats
Constructed ecosystems provide the foundation for complex, three-dimensional habitats that support diverse marine life, creating biodiverse and resilient environments. Subtidal structures further amplify atmospheric CO₂ reduction through both filtration and biodeposition, providing additional layers of carbon sequestration.​
The Truth About Carbon
The Earth in its entirety is a closed system, with the amount of carbon remaining constant. Earth's carbon mainly resides in rocks and sediments, with the rest distributed in oceans, the atmosphere, and living organisms. These reservoirs work together to recycle carbon atoms.
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It’s important to note that living organisms, whether photosynthetic or non-photosynthetic, do not make any net addition of carbon to the atmosphere. Living organisms cannot create carbon atoms and can only source carbon from their environment.
The major cause of climate change is adding more carbon to the atmospheric carbon pool through the use of fossil fuels. The carbon within fossil fuels was sequestered in the earth's crust before being emitted into the atmosphere.