idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
4 March 2026 / Kiel. If humanity wants to counterbalance unavoidable residual emissions and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, it will have to remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This CO2 removal could involve targeted interventions in the ocean, such as increasing biomass production or altering the ocean’s chemistry. Experts from the DAM research mission CDRmare warn, however, that the environmental impacts of such experiments are currently difficult to measure, monitor and evaluate. Developing robust monitoring concepts and clarifying uncertainties is therefore the most urgent task to guide decisions on whether and where to carry out these experiments.
In many parts of the world, researchers and companies are currently investigating whether the ocean’s natural CO2 uptake can be increased through targeted interventions. If this is possible, it is hoped that hard-to-abate CO2 emissions could be counterbalanced and the ongoing effects of climate change curbed.
However, whether the removal methods under discussion (marine carbon dioxide removal, mCDR) can actually remove as much CO2 in an environmentally friendly way as experts assume on the basis of laboratory and mesocosm studies can only be reliably investigated in field experiments. Corresponding experiments are therefore being planned and prepared in various coastal areas. The project planners are consistently confronted with two key questions: What environmental impacts will the planned field experiment have? And how can possible changes in the marine environment be measured and evaluated?
Thematic workshop with more than 40 experts from six countries
To begin addressing these questions, the CDRmare research mission of the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) organised an international scientific workshop on mCDR environmental monitoring issues at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. In September 2025, 41 experts from six countries and 16 institutions accepted the invitation. Participants came from Germany, Canada, the USA, Australia, Sweden and the UK, with some joining online.
Together, the experts discussed minimum requirements, knowledge gaps, and solutions for reliably monitoring the environmental impacts of marine CO₂ removal field trials. The CDRmare team has now published a summary of the workshop results in English on the mission website, cdrmare.de.
A testcase for responsible marine research
“Our report identifies the enormous challenges we face in monitoring marine CO2 removal processes. It also sets out clear tasks for us as scientists: to develop reliable monitoring systems and identify ways in which such field experiments can be carried out and regulated in an environmentally sound manner,” says Prof. Alexander Proelß, co-chair of the CDRmare research mission.
“These are both high priorities in view of the upcoming amendment to the German High Seas Dumping Act because the new law will enable field experiments to be conducted on selected marine CO2 removal approaches,” adds Prof. Andreas Oschlies, also co-chair of CDRmare.
In his view, German marine research therefore has a dual responsibility. “Firstly, we want to find solutions that meet our national environmental protection requirements. On the other hand, we also have a duty to set international standards, for example, through successful best practice examples that enable us to define minimum standards for the environmental monitoring of marine CO2 removal,” he says.
Key findings at a glance:
Responsible field trials of marine CO2 removal methods require solid environmental monitoring systems. However, there are currently no uniform guidelines on what these systems should entail.
The challenges of environmental monitoring and assessing potential environmental changes caused by mCDR field trials are numerous.
Ecosystems are subject to natural fluctuations and other human influences. These changes are difficult to distinguish from those that can be triggered by field experiments and, in some cases, are intended to be triggered.
In many places, long-term data on the state of the marine environment is lacking. However, such data is needed to identify possible environmental changes.
Changes triggered by field experiments can only be simulated to a limited extent in computer models. This makes it challenging to predict environmental impacts in advance of an experiment or to define critical thresholds.
It remains unclear which of the many environmental parameters would need to be measured in a field experiment. The key indicators of environmental change vary depending on the location and the CO2 removal method used. Therefore, it would be advisable to identify all possible parameters from which a selection can be made for the specific application. This selection should be made jointly by the relevant authorities, project initiators, and interested members of the public.
Field experiments on marine CO2 removal methods are not yet regulated uniformly, but are governed by various regional, national and international regulations and laws. Examples of best practice can help to find practical solutions. These demonstrate how project initiators, authorities, and interested groups can gradually establish common standards through close collaboration.
About: CDRmare research mission
The CDRmare research mission of the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM) is investigating whether and to what extent the ocean can play a significant role in removing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere. The research work began in June 2021. The mission is currently in its second funding phase, which runs until 31 July 2027. CDRmare is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the five northern German states.
CDRmare spokespersons Alexander Proelß and Andreas Oschlies, political scientist Miranda Boettcher, as well as other experts from the research mission, are available to answer questions or provide detailed information on environmental monitoring of marine CO2 removal experiments.
Please contact CDRmare press officer Sina Löschke, sloeschke(at)cdrmare.de, phone: 0049 2353 - 70 71 527
CDRmare HUB Workshop Report: Monitoring Environmental Impacts of mCDR Field Tests
https://cdrmare.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/eMRV_Workshop_Report260213-1.pdf
https://cdrmare.de/ CDRmare
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