Evolving in-field research operations, eDNA moves to solidify itself as a toolkit mainstay, and assessing marine CO2 removal methods.

From a bird’s eye view, we see some full-circle happenings in the marine science, regulatory, and industry space. Increased development of offshore renewable energy has helped move the needle on the commercial adoption of new ocean diversity monitoring; climate and net zero goals have pushed governments and ocean industry players to become more aggressive with alternative approaches to reducing, sequestering, and storing carbon; and the realization of uncrewed systems for efficient in-field research operations are within reach.

Is the Ocean a Carbon Solution?

Climate uncertainty—and unknowns—continue to fuel global high-level government investment. Allotted funding aims to improve our overall understanding of the ocean carbon budget, thus improving our ability to model climate and environmental changes that could impact ocean warming, acidification, resource abundance, and more. Ideally, armed with baseline data and an improved resolution, policy decisions, and intervention requirements will be more likely to hit their mark.

But while regulations hammer down on emissions targets, will it be enough? Many suggest no. Outside of the electrification progress, private startups and investors have been leading the way to develop and integrate novel marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) projects to take direct intervention to improve carbon sequestration and storage, and while significant progress has been made, there are still large challenges associated with the lagging side of research and development required for firmly backed verification and best practice methods. To help bridge the gap, several significant federal investments have been allotted, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) agreement to advance carbon dioxide removal.

Unveiling Biodiversity and Advancing Monitoring

Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods were first introduced in the 1980s and, shortly after, proved a successful tool for marine sediment microbiological biodiversity investigations.

In more recent years, several service companies, like eDNAtec, have sprouted up to offer eDNA services targeted at supporting the oil and gas and fisheries industries for biodiversity monitoring. Overall accomplishments over time, like eDNAtec’s announcement that they had successfully sequenced over six trillion DNA bases, will continue to improve and establish eDNA as a standard method and practice for monitoring invasive, rare, and endangered species, detection of pathogens, determining past biodiversity baselines, and more. Like mCDR, eDNA also faces challenges associated with data cross-comparison and verification. Moving forward, many have echoed the need for regulatory best practices and method standards to ensure quality and trusted data for decision-making.

As the adoption of eDNA methods grows across the commercial, government, and research domains, the need for improved technologies to support eDNA sampling processes is being met by several supply chain stakeholders. One such company is Ocean Diagnostics, whose Ascension eDNA depth sampler, was used recently by Australia’s Minderoo Foundation to assess the biodiversity of the Christmas and Cocos Islands.

Where Remote Operations and Discrete Sampling Collide

One of the largest challenges associated with uncrewed research endeavors remains the constraints associated with the requirements of discrete sampling and depth measurements. While advances in marine sensors have advanced and achieved accuracy and detection limitations that have never been possible before, discrete sampling is often still required for cross-verification or for analysis of analytes that don’t have dedicated sensors.

Recent product and project milestones have confirmed and advanced the feasibility of remote discrete sampling operations. For example, Zycraft recently released a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV) equipped with a multiple-depth water sampling system. Additionally, Ocean Scientific International Ltd. (OSIL) and AML Oceanographic Ltd. Have also developed a wireless charging and data transfer system for their Micro Profiling Winches that are designed for USV systems for the completion of SVP or CTD profiles. Innovations like these begin to expand the possibilities for cost-effective remote in-field research studies with discrete sampling requirements.

Spaces we’re watching: marine instruments, mCDR, eDNA, fisheries regulation

You’ll find news and insights on all the above in “The Water Column”—an exclusive editorial column dedicated to giving our readers an alternate, bird’s eye view of the most significant happenings across the marine science, industry, and policy space. To keep abreast of all the latest developments, access The Water Column in print editions of ECO Magazine, nestled among the pages of Environmental Policy news, and in a monthly circulating digital edition found on LinkedIn and our website.

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