Each year AGU’s annual meeting, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, convenes 25,000+ attendees from 100+ countries. Ocean Visions will be at AGU24 to expand the dialogue and advance action around solutions at the ocean-climate nexus. We are leading and participating in several events, and invite attendees to join us at those that are open to all registrants.

• Advancing Responsible Field Trials: A Workshop for Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement with Co-Hosts Carbon to Sea and [C]worthy

  Sunday, 18 February 2024 | 9:00 – 12:00 CST | 223, Second Floor (NOLACC)
  While ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) continues to be explored in lab and mesocosm settings, an increasing number of field trials are being deployed and planned in natural environments. These opportunities provide valuable insights into how alkalinity behaves in open systems, and how we might best measure its effects. This workshop will aim to bring together the researchers on the front lines of OAE to share their lessons learned with those in the planning stages, and includes important topics such as: trial scope and design, identifying and measuring ecological and social impacts, regulatory and permitting, community-engagement, MRV technologies and models, and high-impact resources and processes that worked for teams. Learn More & Register

• mCDR Networking Event (SOLD OUT)

  Monday, 19 February 2024 | 6:30 – 9:30 CST | Audubon Aquarium
  Join Ocean Visions and co-hosts Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry, [C]Worthy, Carbon to Sea Initiative, and Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions for a marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) networking event. All are welcome, from those interested in learning more, to engaging in research, to exploring potential partnerships. We aim to convene a diverse group to share information and explore collaborations. Stop by for some or all of this three-hour event featuring introductory remarks from hosts and then mingling over food and beverage. 

• CM31A-04 Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal in the 2020s: Getting Answers to the Important Questions

  Wednesday, 21 February 2024 | 8:55 – 9:03 CST | R04-R05, Second Floor (NOLACC)
  Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal has made tremendous scientific, technical, and social progress in the last several years, yet much work remains to develop confident answers to the question of whether, and how, ocean-based CDR approaches are going to be a part of the toolkit needed to deliver gigaton-scale carbon dioxide removal by mid-century. In this talk, Ocean Visions will present its framework for doing this work, aiming to spark a larger discussion about how to deliver high-quality research and development to maximize knowledge and inform decision making. Learn More

• TH43D – Establishing Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Policies

  Thursday, 22 February 2024 | 12:45 – 1:45 CST | Hall C-1, First Floor (NOLACC)
  The world’s nations have set goals of limiting global emissions of greenhouse gases in the hope of limiting the global average temperature increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The strong possibility that the world will overshoot this target has led many organizations, companies, and others to explore ways of intervening in the Earth’s climate. However, currently there is no solid governance framework, internationally and in the U.S., for ocean carbon dioxide removal (CDR). In the absence of a governance framework, numerous questions exist related to the social and environmental impacts of ocean CDR, research needs and funding, as well as permitting, monitoring, and verification. In this townhall, we’ll discuss current efforts to create policies to enable responsible and ethical ocean carbon dioxide removal, as well as challenges and opportunities in making policies a reality. Learn More & Register

• TH43F – Fostering Partnerships by Building on the Framework of the Ocean Decade

  Thursday, 22 February 2024 | 12:45 – 1:45 CST | 217-219, Second Floor (NOLACC)
  The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (Ocean Decade) is a global cooperative program to expand scientific, social, and economic partnerships to support sustainable development and management of our coasts and ocean. This town hall will showcase successful partnership stories that were built through leveraging the unique opportunity for an unprecedented level of collaboration for innovation and transformational change that the Ocean Decade presents. The panel discussion will allow attendees to walk away with an understanding of the Ocean Decade and how it directly connects to their research, outreach, and partnerships, whether in their local community or on an international scale. We aim for the session to highlight how the goals and priorities of the Ocean Decade forge greater cooperation and collaboration and provide insight on how scientists can engage. Learn More & Register

• HD52A-05 – Challenges of Ocean Science Education in Kenya and the Way Forward (NOTE: Talk given by Mariam Maku Swaleh Mwasaria, Coordinator of Kenya Ocean-Climate Innovation Hub in partnership with Ocean Visions’ Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions)

  Friday 23 February 2024 | 11:30 – 11:45 CST | 225-227, Second Floor (NOLACC)
  Climate change has disproportionately affected the poorest coastal communities in Kenya. In addition, other human activities, connected to poverty, have made the situation worse. People living near the ocean still cut down mangrove trees for different uses, resulting in damage to a critical ecosystem. Overfishing has resulted in a decline in fish populations, affecting livelihoods. Ocean-climate solutions must benefit communities that depend on the ocean, and an interdisciplinary approach should be adopted in marine science research and business applications. With support from Ocean Visions, and in partnership with leading local research institutions, an ocean-climate innovation hub is developing in Kenya to provide a platform for science graduates, researchers, and ocean-climate startups to support innovative ocean-based climate solutions. Learn More

CONNECT WITH THE OCEAN VISIONS DELEGATION

Numerous staff will be in attendance at OSM. Please feel free to reach out to us via email before or during the event to arrange for a meetup.

• Liliana Bastian, Program Officer

• David Koweek, Chief Scientist

• Kerry Nickols, Senior Program Officer

• Sarah Mastroni, Program Officer

• Courtney McGeachy, Director of the Ocean Visions – UN Decade Collaborative Center for Ocean-Climate Solutions

• Nikhil Neelakantan, Senior Program Officer

Additionally, we invite you to stop by booth #343, where we will have staff stationed as much as possible throughout the event. Hope to see you there!