MARINER Lab

The MARine Innovative Negative Emissions Research (MARINER) Lab, housed in the Southern California Marine Institute, is home to our custom state-of-the-art system for marine biogeochemistry experiments. The system consists of 12 seawater flow-through reactors that can replicate the seafloor and water column under highly controlled conditions. The lab is conducting experiments to simulate marine CDR interventions with the goal to understand how they could be implemented for maximum climate benefit and minimal environmental impact.

Bringing the Field to the Lab

The seafloor and water column are constantly interacting with each other. Perturbing the carbon fluxes of one will inherently impact the carbon fluxes of the other such that both must be considered for a comprehensive assessment of the net impact of any mCDR approach. The MARINER Lab is equipped to study the dynamic response of the water column and seafloor under a range of mCDR applications including direct placement of alkaline minerals on the seafloor, as well as alkalinity addition into the water column. The lab is also parsing out how changing variables such as seafloor sediment composition, ocean chemistry, and local hydrodynamics impact carbon removal outcomes with implications for mCDR site selection and deployment strategy optimization.