- ENDLab receives two new grants to study monitoring and modeling of mCDR
We are thrilled to announce that the Environmental Dynamics Laboratory (ENDLab) at MIT has been awarded two prestigious grants from the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI). These awards will support our groundbreaking research in the monitoring and modeling of marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) technologies.
Project 1: Enhanced Monitoring Systems
The first project focuses on developing advanced monitoring systems to track the performance and environmental impact of mCDR methods. By integrating cutting-edge sensors and data analytics, we aim to provide real-time insights into the efficiency and safety of CO2 removal processes. This project will help ensure that mCDR technologies are both effective and environmentally sustainable.
Project 2: Comprehensive Modeling Frameworks
The second project involves creating comprehensive modeling frameworks to simulate the long-term effects of mCDR on marine ecosystems. These models will incorporate various environmental factors and feedback mechanisms to predict the outcomes of large-scale CO2 removal efforts. Our goal is to provide policymakers and stakeholders with reliable data to make informed decisions about the deployment of mCDR technologies.
Collaboration and Impact
Both projects will involve collaboration with leading experts in marine science, engineering, and data analytics. We believe that interdisciplinary cooperation is key to addressing the complex challenges of climate change. The insights gained from these projects will not only advance the field of mCDR but also contribute to global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions.
- Scientists measure plume stirred up by deep-sea-mining vehicle
A new field study reveals a previously unobserved fluid dynamic process that is key to assessing impact of deep-sea mining operations.
What will be the impact to the ocean if humans are to mine the deep sea? It’s a question that’s gaining urgency as interest in marine minerals has grown. Now MIT ocean scientists have shed some light on the topic, with a new study on the cloud of sediment that a collector vehicle would stir up as it picks up nodules from the seafloor.
The study, appearing in Science Advances, reports the results of a 2021 research cruise to a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), where polymetallic nodules abound. There, researchers equipped a pre-prototype collector vehicle with instruments to monitor sediment plume disturbances as the vehicle maneuvered across the seafloor, 4,500 meters below the ocean’s surface. Through a sequence of carefully conceived maneuvers, the MIT scientists used the vehicle to monitor its own sediment cloud and measure its properties.
Adapted and reprinted with permission of MIT News.
Read the full article on MIT News. Image: Global Sea Mineral Resources - Multi-year data sets of Arctic Ocean dynamics
Despite the challenges of Covid on at-sea operations, with the very generous help of a team of Korean collaborations, Dr. Chanyung Jeon was able to coordinate from land the successful recovery of six Pop-up Data Shuttle (PDS) Current and Pressure-recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) from the Arctic Ocean. Dr Jeon coordinated with the team before they headed off on an extended research cruise aboard the R/V Araon. The resulting data will provide new insight into the penetration of near-inertial wave energy injected by storms at the ocean surface down to abyssal depths.
- Blue resilience brief for the UN Global Compact
In a brief by the UN Global Compact, Professor Thomas Peacock outlines the pressing need for a unified approach to data-sharing for a resilient ocean economy, especially in the face of Covid-19. Read the report at https://ungc-communications-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/publications/Towards-a-More-Resilient-and-Sustainable-Blue-Economy.pdf
