Ocean CO₂ to O₂ is our mission.
COROA seeds scientific research to monitor, model, evaluate, and also gather experts, on our global oxygen status. In parallel, we are demonstrating the financial case for investing and accelerating the market for CO₂ to O₂ nature-based systems, and technologies that mirror the process.
We are seeking partners to share information with, combine intellectual and monetary capital, implement demonstration projects to understand and build our case, and share an optimism for our climate’s future on the basis of enhancing the planetary life-support capacity (oxygen).
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Science.
Oxygen is crucial to life. Climate change is causing oxygen to decrease at an accelerating rate. The problem is not fully understood, because it is hard to measure and has not been an integrated focus of the scientific community. However, there are indicators, particularly in the ocean, that suggest our planet is on an extinction-level trajectory of oxygen loss. This would not be the first O₂ dip in the history of earth, but each previous chapter has caused mass devastation to our planet and its inhabitants.
Some of the core indicators we are seeing: 1) phytoplankton in our seas, which have produced the majority of planetary oxygen, are dying at unprecedented levels due to chemical and heat stress 2) rising temperatures accelerate geological phenomena that would normally moderate CO₂ levels, and are disruptive to O₂ levels long-term, 3) fire and combustion, industrial or extreme-weather driven, gulp down oxygen.
There is a crucial need to intensify study of oxygen and simultaneously build a detailed, accurate global oxygen budget for our planet.
(Figure: Levin, 2018: Manifestation, Drivers, and Emergence of Open Ocean Deoxygenation)
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Markets.
We know enough to act. We have an opportunity to scale known methods to address our GHG problem and counter oxygen depletion. Natural systems, like mangrove forests, seagrasses, and seaweed (among many others) all convert carbon into oxygen for both the atmosphere and ocean. They regenerate zones of oxygen abundance and production for phytoplankton and marine fungi (another crucial oxygen warrior). Brilliant researchers and entrepreneurs have also devised methods to accelerate natural photosynthetic processes, or even invented new technologies to turn GHGs into O₂.
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Models.
We are building predictor models using diverse datasets and AI/ML to “learn” which locations globally have the biggest potential to sequester carbon and boost oxygen for restoration projects.
In parallel, we are assessing marine habitat loss risk using satellite imagery and overlaying climate risk metrics to identify places most exposed to increasing tropical cyclones and sea level rise, to guide high-value conservation areas for blue carbon offsets.
