To critically evaluate PCS approaches, EDF is leading a coordinated research initiative and will provide funding opportunities to synthesize and expand the body of knowledge and ongoing research on PCS and the ocean’s natural biological carbon pump. The research under the program can support modeling, limited field work, natural analog studies, and social-ecological impacts research.

Funding opportunities will be available via four specific Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and a bottom-up funding mechanism for researcher-initiated ideas (broadly termed the Community Fund).

This work is supported by the Grantham Environmental Trust through the Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA).

Full details here: https://www.edf.org/phytoplankton-carbon-solutions-pcs-funding-opportunities 

 

RFP #1: Identification and Characterization of Critical Uncertainties for PCS: Supports the development of a comprehensive framework that identifies the most important uncertainties around the CDR potential and socio-ecological effects of PCS interventions and provides a characterization of their ability to be reduced with additional research. This is a foundational analysis that will require a diverse team with expertise such as life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, sensitivity analysis, probabilistic modeling, and scenario development and evaluation. This team will need to closely collaborate with the other funded teams and with experts outside the Consortium on uncertainty inputs. The expectation is that the bulk of the research will be completed within the first year of the grant, but that this team will remain engaged with the other funded research teams throughout the research Consortium period. Estimated grant: USD$ 1 – 2 million over 30-36 months.


RFP #2: Advancing Biogeochemical Modeling for PCS Evaluation: Supports the evaluation and advancement of model-based capabilities for the assessment of mCDR benefits and environmental impacts of PCS. Emphasis is placed on scoping and developing novel technical capacity for relevant models to provide meaningful quantification of the effects of PCS interventions, targeting critical development opportunities while providing insight into needs and realistic timescales for model advancement to reduce existing gaps and uncertainties for decision making. Estimated grant: USD$ 3 – 4 million over 30-36 months.


RFP #3: Focusing Biological Carbon Pump (BCP) Research for PCS Application: Supports research that examines targeted ecological and biogeochemical aspects of BCP research that informs baseline quantification and impacts of PCS interventions. Examples include the interplay between food web structure and carbon export efficiency, the impact of trace metal bioavailability and delivery mechanism on carbon export, or the influence of microbial processes on organic matter remineralization. This RFP will support novel research that enhances ongoing research efforts. Estimated grant: USD$ 2 – 3 million over 30-36 months.


RFP #4: Evaluating Socio-Ecological Desirability: Investigate and establish approaches to work with interested communities to evaluate the social and ecological risks and benefits of PCS interventions at a range of global to local scales. Estimated grant: USD$ 2 – 3 million over 30-36 months.