PORTLAND, Maine, June 8, 2022 — Today, on World Oceans Day, Ocean Visions and Running Tide are proud to announce the formation of an independent Scientific Advisory Board convened and managed by Ocean Visions to guide the development of Running Tide’s carbon removal system.
Ocean Visions, a nonprofit organization, works to develop innovative and durable solutions to the complex challenges facing our ocean. Running Tide, a company headquartered in Portland, Maine, designs and builds technology that amplifies the natural power of the ocean to durably remove carbon, reverse ocean acidification, and restore ocean health. Ocean Visions will oversee the independent Scientific Advisory Board, and will recruit appropriate experts to advise on various aspects related to Running Tide’s foundational science, quantification methods, and approach.
Included in this expert group will be:
- Dr. Jim Barry, Senior Scientist and Benthic Ecologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and a leading expert in benthic marine environments.
- Dr. Andreas Oschlies, Head of the Biogeochemical Modelling research unit at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and a leading expert in oceanic carbon uptake.
- Richard Donovan, a co-founder of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and independent forest advisor with 45+ years’ experience in community forest enterprises, rural development, forest certification, community forestry, watershed management, and biomass energy.
- David Bannon, Board Member and Founder of Headwall Photonics, a leading designer and manufacturer of imaging sensors and spectral instrumentation and an expert in the deployment of advanced instrumentation for remote sensing and machine vision.
Justin Ries, Senior Scientific Advisor at Running Tide, stated the following about the formation of the Board: “The Scientific Advisory Board convened by Ocean Visions comprises some of the world’s experts in the fields of global carbon cycling, oceanography, marine ecology, forestry, carbon sequestration, environmental economics and policy, and systems engineering. These experts will provide critical guidance, perspective, and insight into all aspects of Running Tide’s environmental and climate services. This engagement is exemplary of the collaboration between industry, policy, science, and engineering that is needed to tackle the CO2 problem at the requisite Earth system scale.”
The experts comprising this Board are selected based on their understanding of the key systems underlying and impacted by Running Tide’s foundational science and carbon removals accounting approach. The guidance and recommendations produced by this Board will be considered in all aspects of Running Tide’s methodologies and operations, including quantifying the removal of carbon, conducting environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and responsibly scaling Running Tide’s processes globally. Additional experts across a diverse range of fields will also join the Board in the near future.
According to Board Member Jim Barry, “Stabilizing the climate system through reduced emissions and carbon removal is likely to be the most important challenge facing society this century and beyond. Developing realistic carbon removal solutions and implementing them at climate-relevant scales will depend upon partnerships involving a wide range of stakeholders including engineering, science, industry and social sciences. As one of the Scientific Advisors for Running Tide’s efforts to develop a kelp-sinking approach for ocean carbon sequestration, I’ll provide expert advice in marine biology and ecology, and will help identify resources for scientific information relevant for any issues related to their carbon removal efforts.”
Marty Odlin, the founder and CEO of Running Tide, said of the announcement, “We are immensely pleased that Ocean Visions will be convening this distinguished Scientific Board. This is a critical opportunity to leverage our collective expertise toward solving the climate crisis, restoring ocean health, and delivering positive co-benefits to ecosystems and human communities, while setting a standard for responsible innovation within the carbon removal space.”
Ocean Visions was born of recognition that the diverse sectors and disciplines needed to design and advance effective solutions to ocean health are often siloed and disconnected. In 2019, a group of leading ocean research and academic institutions came together to bridge these silos and develop innovative and durable solutions to the complex challenges facing our oceans.
Ocean Visions connects not only oceanographic and academic research institutions, but marine resource managers, conservation organizations, investors, entrepreneurs, and governments to collaborate on the development, testing, and deployment of scalable and equitable solutions. Together, they are committed to reducing (and ultimately reversing) greenhouse gas-driven changes to the ocean, building climate resiliency in coastal systems and communities, and enhancing ocean-based food security in the face of climatic change.
Founded by Marty Odlin, an engineer and 4th generation commercial fisherman, and proudly headquartered in Portland, Maine, Running Tide designs and builds technology that amplifies the natural power of the ocean to durably remove carbon, reverse ocean acidification, and restore coastal ecosystems. Running Tide partners with leading carbon removal purchasers such as Stripe and Shopify, as well as the leaders in climate and ocean science including The Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge, Ocean Visions, and the Roux Institute at Northeastern University.
