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Ocean acidification is a major, key issue in direct relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 14: Life Below Water. The goal is the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources. It has the potential to turn into a serious danger to marine ecosystems as a result of ocean acidification, mostly caused by increased CO₂ emissions. With the rise in CO₂ in the atmosphere, more gets transferred and dissolved into the world's oceans, which in turn causes a drop in pH levels. This acidity shift can be very negative to marine life and especially to organisms that have calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, such as corals, mollusks, and some types of plankton.
The effects of ocean acidification are deep and wide-ranging. Acidification is very sensitive to coral reefs, which are vital in biodiversity and for coastal protection. It weakens the skeletons of corals, making them easily eroded and less able to carry their weight for other living creatures in the ocean. In addition, these calcifying organisms are very essential in the marine food web, acting as food and habitats for so many fish and invertebrates. Real solutions to solve this problem demand innovative thinking and collaboration between governments, scientists, and businesses.
Below are companies and startups that fight ocean acidification at the front line. These businesses use everything from carbon capture and storage technologies to making sustainable aquaculture practices while advocating for policy changes. Leading businesses in this area have been noted and explained with particular approaches and impacts of their work herein.
Founder: Olavur Gregersen
Founded In: 2010
Location: Faroe Islands
Ocean Rainforest is one of the sea-farming companies that are leading in the fight against ocean acidification through sustainable seaweed farming. The company grows seaweed in the North Atlantic Ocean using environment-friendly and locally beneficial practices.
Seaweed farming as a business has immense potential to counter ocean acidification. While growing, seaweed absorbs CO2 and thus reduces its general concentration—a greenhouse gas within the ocean. On the Faroe Islands, Ocean Rainforest has more than 100,000 square meters of seaweed farms, yielding several tons annually. This process captures carbon but also releases oxygen back into the water, which improves the general health of marine ecosystems.
The seaweed farms provide habitats for a variety of marine species, hence increasing biodiversity. The forests of seaweed enable life forms, from the smallest invertebrates to fish. It thus sustains a living, complex ecosystem. Ocean Rainforest helps to strengthen the habitats to increase resistance against acidification.
Ocean Rainforest harvests seaweed to then produce a range of sustainable products: food additives, animal feed, and bioplastics. These make for eco-friendly alternatives to traditional material bases for different industries. In addition, their activity supports local economies by creating jobs and encouraging sustainable living in coastal communities.
Ocean Rainforest collaborates with several institutions to build on the knowledge of using kelp against ocean acidification mitigation. They participate in several other studies on the impact of seaweed cultivation on the environment while finding new applications for seaweed-derived products. All this research has to be scaled up to allow intensive cultivation of seaweed for maximum environmental benefits.
Founder: Ken Newcombe
Founded In: 2008
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
C-Quest Capital is an international leader in carbon finance and project development, focusing on activities that reduce GHG emissions and advance sustainable development. Their activities include projects to offset adverse effects of ocean acidification increase by blue carbon activities.
Blue carbon refers to carbon sequestered and stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. All of these systems are key to carbon sequestration, hence reducing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the ocean. This company, CQuest Capital, develops and finances projects for the restoration and protection of such vital ecosystems, fighting ocean acidification.
Mangroves are particularly effective at carbon sequestration, storing as much as four times the amount of carbon per unit area compared to terrestrial forests. Mangrove restoration programs by C-Quest Capital involve replanting and conservation in mangrove forests across Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. This will help capture substantial amounts of CO2, reducing ocean acidification and shielding coastal communities from the impacts of climate change.
Seagrasses and salt marshes are equally important blue carbon ecosystems. C-Quest Capital works on projects that protect and restore these habitats, enhancing their capacity to sequester carbon and mitigate ocean acidification. In fact, this is crucial for the health and resilience of marine ecosystems.
C-Quest Capital utilizes innovative financial mechanisms to finance blue carbon projects, thus establishing a long-term source of financing for conservation through the selling of carbon credits created by these very projects. This model is extremely helpful in mitigating ocean acidification while supporting economic development and environmental sustainability.
C-Quest Capital educates and trains local communities on projects about the importance of blue carbon ecosystems. Involvement of communities in conservation ensures that projects are long-lasting and sustainable. This creates a sense of stewardship, empowering communities to conserve their natural resources.
Founder: Marty Odlin
Founded In: 2017
Location: Portland, Maine, USA
Running Tide Technologies is an innovative startup in how technology and nature are being used to help ocean acidification and climate change. This concept takes advantage of the benefits associated with ocean-based carbon removal and pairs them with sustainable aquaculture to promote better marine health.
Running Tide deploys floating kelp farms that, as the kelp grows, absorb CO2. As the kelp reaches maturity, it sinks to the ocean floor, with the carbon it has taken up, to be stored for hundreds of years. It's similar in process to natural cycles of carbon and thereby provides an actionable, scalable solution to ocean acidification. Running Tide aims at maximizing carbon sequestration with minimum ecological disruption.
Other than kelp farming, Running Tide also involves within sustainable cultured shellfish. Oysters, mussels, and other filter shellfish clean excessive nutrients in the water that could be contributing to acidification, with their shells storing carbon in the form of calcium carbonate. Running Tide's aquaculture operations nurture healthy marine ecosystems while producing sustainable seafood.
Running Tide collaborates with research institutions and uses state-of-the-art technology to increase scientific knowledge related to ocean-based carbon removal and sustainable aquaculture through tuning its process and quantifying its impact. This research is critical to validate methods and scale operations.
Running Tide's projects have innumerable ecological advantages: carbon sequestration, water purification, habitat restoration—and their aquaculture practices are sustainable to support local economies through employment creation and a supply of fish for both subsistence livelihoods and commercial sales. Running Tide's model shows that innovative solutions can find an answer to very complex problems in the environment while building economic resilience.
Running Tide works in partnership with coastal communities to increase sustainable practices and awareness of ocean health. They educate and train them on the essence of marine conservation, advantages accruable from sustainable aquaculture, and other practices. This way, communities become part of their work toward long-term success and sustainability.
Founder: Mark J. Spalding
Founded In: 2001
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
The Ocean Foundation is an NGO working towards the reversal of ocean destruction. They have a myriad of issues that they focus on—including ocean acidification—through a number of targeted programs and initiatives.
The Ocean Foundation's International Ocean Acidification Initiative works on establishing worldwide capacity for monitoring, understanding, and acting on ocean acidification. These partnerships include intergovernmental collaborations between governments, scientific institutions, and community-based organizations to develop rigorous monitoring and mitigation strategies.
Accurate monitoring is very instrumental in understanding the degree of progress and impacts of ocean acidification. The Ocean Foundation is working on the support and provision of resources aimed at establishing monitoring stations around the world, especially in developing countries. Through these stations, data will be accumulated on the process, which can then be used to inform global strategies to combat acidification. In places like the Pacific Islands, this data has proved essential in developing mitigation efforts that are more localized.
Long-term solutions to this problem must thus be based on policies that address the root causes of ocean acidification. This is why, internationally, The Ocean Foundation works with bodies like the United Nations to advocate for the adoption of regulations that reduce CO2 emissions and protect marine ecosystems; it provides training and resources for building local capacity in monitoring and mitigation, hence empowering communities to act.
Community engagement and stakeholder involvement are significant components of the strategy at The Ocean Foundation. They engage in partnerships with local institutions and governments to increase awareness of ocean acidification and its impacts through workshops, education programs, and public outreach to further raise understanding of the issue and drive collective solutions.
The Ocean Foundation grants for various types of projects and finances those specifically dealing with ocean acidification and other marine conservation issues. They provide monetary support to such projects with innovation and help in developing and implementing the solution.
Founder: Alexandra Cousteau
Founded In: 2019
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
Oceans 2050 works towards the restoration of ocean health by 2050 by taking up large-scale projects on such critical issues of the seas as ocean acidification.
Oceans 2050 has been working at the forefront in scaling seaweed carbon farming as one of the highly prospective CO2 sequestration solutions against ocean acidification. Working on the principle of large-scale cultivation of seaweed, it captures large amounts of carbon and significantly enhances the quality of water. This will not only capture carbon but also create habitats for marine life, hence enhancing biodiversity.
Oceans 2050 teams up with scientific institutions, industry partners, and local communities in leading edge research and development around seaweed farming and other promising marine restoration techniques. This collaborative approach guides the development of projects so that the research underpinning the work is robust while the interventions are practically feasible. Projects in research areas, like the North Atlantic and Southeast Asia, test which species and techniques are best fitted for growing seaweed.
As part of their strategy, advocacy is also one of the core elements for Oceans 2050. They work at national and international policy levels to advocate for regulations supporting marine restoration and carbon sequestration efforts. The advocacy efforts are oriented toward creating an enabling environment for large ocean health initiatives at scale.
Besides seaweed farming, Oceans 2050 supports other sustainable aquaculture systems that are restorative, taken as a whole, to the health of the oceans. They fund projects relating to the production of seaweed in combination with shellfish farming to create synergistic benefits on the marine environment. Such integrated systems would help improve water quality while providing both sustainable seafood and carbon sequestration.
The projects of Oceans 2050 have some vital economic and social benefits: they generate employment through the new industries related to seaweed farming and sustainable aquaculture. This could contribute to economic development in coastal communities. Food security is enhanced by providing sustainable sources of nutrition.
Oceans 2050 does intensive education and outreach regarding ocean acidification and the need for marine restoration. They collaborate with learning institutions, NGOs, and even the media in propagating the information and provoking action. Their outreach efforts therefore foster a global movement through the acquisition of commitments from both individuals and organizations to fight for a healthy ocean.
Founder: Collaborative effort from multiple organizations
Founded In: 2019
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Ocean Visions is a collaborative network of leading ocean research and academic institutions focused on developing innovative solutions to combat ocean acidification and other critical ocean health issues.
Ocean Visions connects world-leading scientists, engineers, and stakeholders in integrated efforts of cutting-edge research in understanding and mitigating ocean acidification, with a commitment to developing solutions at a practical level for global scaling. Research projects include exploring the potential of marine algae at sequestration and developing new technologies capable of monitoring and counteracting acidification.
The organization supports the development of technologies capable of reducing CO2 levels in the ocean. This includes amplifying the natural potential of marine ecosystems for carbon storage. Their joint efforts have achieved significant advancement in the development of a number of ocean-based carbon removal technologies, including those based on alkalinity enhancement and electrochemical methods.
Ocean Visions works with elected officials in advancing science-based solutions to address ocean acidification. The group helps in policy-formulation efforts through the delivery of necessary expertise and advice to help protect the ocean and its resources while minimizing carbon emissions. This advocacy work was completed to ensure that scientific research would amount to implementable policy actions at both national and international levels.
The organization engages in raising awareness about ocean acidification and its impacts with coastal communities/stakeholders. From workshops to educational programs to community outreach, Ocean Visions works to collaborate and support local efforts for the protection of marine environments.
Founder: Boyan Slat
Founded In: 2013
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
The core business of The Ocean Cleanup is removing plastic pollution from the oceans, which indirectly contributes to mitigating ocean acidification.
The Ocean Cleanup system helps improve water quality and reduces stress on marine ecosystems by removing plastic waste from oceans. A healthy marine environment has greater resistance and is better at overcoming or even neutralizing the effects of ocean acidification. In fact, large-scale cleanup projects such as these have removed considerable volumes of plastic, thereby contributing to the general health of marine ecosystems.
The Ocean Cleanup develops and deploys technologies and engineering solutions to create efficient plastic-capturing and removal systems from the ocean. Their innovative approach sustains autonomous, continuous-operating systems that increase effectiveness in their cleaning processes.
While plastic pollution is the key focus, The Ocean Cleanup's work impacts marine life and habitats threatened by acidification. Cleaner oceans translate to more robust systems and thus are more resilient to changes in pH levels. Reduction in plastic pollution will also help support the holistic goal of improving ocean health and reducing environmental stressors.
The Ocean Cleanup also engages in far-reaching public education and outreach to raise awareness about ocean pollution and its more general impacts on the environment, including acidification. This organization works together with schools, organizations, and the media to bring awareness about the need to conserve the ocean.
Founder: Sandy DaviesFounded In: 2018Location: London, United Kingdom
The Global Ocean Trust works on the development of ocean conservation and sustainability through innovative solutions, which involve activities to protect the world's oceans from acidification.
Global Ocean Trust lobbies for policies that ease ocean acidification. The organization works with governments, NGOs, and international organizations, thus helping to develop legislation aimed at drastically reducing CO2 emissions and the protection of marine environments. Their advocacy efforts do shape, in a great way, global strategies for ocean conservation.
It also sponsors and participates in research projects aimed at better understanding the effects of ocean acidification and how to counter them. This involves funding studies on pH monitoring, health assessments of marine ecosystems, and the development of potential mitigation measures. Research of this nature is very important in coming up with effective policies on conservation and practices.
The Global Ocean Trust involves communities at the local level in conservation efforts. This way, it educates and provides them with resources to conserve their marine environments. It also runs programs where awareness about ocean acidification is created and the local population is made to understand the importance of adopting sustainable practices.
It also finances blue carbon projects for the restoration and protection of coastal ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. Such projects have huge carbon capture potential to offset the net CO2 content in both the atmosphere and the ocean.
Founder: Collaborative research initiative
Founded In: 2020
Location: Various global research institutions
The Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Project is a project developing and testing methods for increasing the alkalinity of ocean water, with the goal of counteracting ocean acidification.
OAEP is investigating a variety of methods to enhance ocean alkalinity, from adding naturally occurring alkaline minerals to seawater. All these methods have the potential to counteract acidic conditions and create conditions favorable for the ocean's absorption of more atmospheric CO2. Field trials are deployed that can measure the effectiveness and environmental impact of these methods.
The program is a collaboration of the key oceanographic and climate research institutions that bring multidisciplinary views, by integrating scientific, technical, and environmental dimensions in its research. Its findings bring together the growing knowledge about strategies that work in mitigating ocean acidification.
OAEP works with policymakers to advance alkalinity enhancement as a viable method to mitigate ocean acidification. They provide scientific proof and policy recommendations so that regulations are developed that can begin catalyzing these methods.
OAEP engages with policymakers to promote the adoption of alkalinity enhancement as a viable strategy for addressing ocean acidification. They provide scientific evidence and policy recommendations to support the development of regulations that facilitate the implementation of these techniques.
Founder: Alasdair HarrisFounded In: 2003Location: London, United Kingdom
Blue Ventures is a marine conservation program that aims to rebuild tropical fisheries and promote the recovery of marine livelihoods within coastal communities, with an emphasis on community-based approaches.
Blue Ventures works directly with coastal communities to develop sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation strategies. Their work enables communities to empower themselves to take better care of their own marine resources, in light of changes taking place with the oceans, acidification included. In Madagascar, for instance, it has effectively been operating community-led marine protected areas since 2012, boosting the resilience of local ecosystems.
It supports sustainable aquaculture by the people that relieve the pressures brought by ocean acidification. The promotion of seaweed and shellfish farming affords communities alternative, environmentally sustainable, and productive livelihoods.
Blue Ventures researches to track the health of marine ecosystems and assess the impact of oceanic acidification. The data they have gotten from their field studies is of amazing value and used in conservation strategy making and policy recommendations. This research is highly relevant for understanding the impact of acidification on tropical marine environments and in the formulation of effective mitigation measures.
The organization engages in far-reaching education and outreach in raising awareness about ocean acidification and developing sustainable practices. It collaborates with schools, community groups, and government agencies in information dissemination and building a culture of conservation. Blue Ventures' educational programs have reached thousands of individuals, empowering them in building local capacity for marine stewardship.
Founder: Sam Teicher, Gator Halpern
Founded In: 2015
Location: Freeport, Bahamas
Coral Vita is the first organization in the world working toward the restoration of coral reefs and mitigation of impacts associated with ocean acidification through new restoration techniques.
Using advanced coral farming, Coral Vita produces resilient corals that will tolerate acidification and rise in water temperatures resulting from climate change. They grow corals in nurseries on land and transplant them into degraded reef areas. This way, such a method can be done at an accelerating rate of restoration with a hugely increased survival rate for the corals.
The organization focuses on raising and selecting coral species that are more resistant to acidification and warming water stresses. That increased diversity and resilience in the coral populations becomes a source of genetic enhancement toward the restoration of healthy, thriving reef ecosystems.
Healthy coral reefs play a very significant role in supporting marine biodiversity, which again provides important ecosystem services, including coastal protection and fish habitats. Acidification and other impacts on these ecosystems can be mitigated by restoration efforts such as those by Coral Vita. Initial projects in the Bahamas and elsewhere show promise, where restored reefs indicate increased resiliency and biodiversity.
Coral Vita has been working in close collaboration with the community and stakeholders in conserving and restoring corals. They have sensitized on the importance of coral reefs and given training in the techniques used in their restoration. It gives them a chance to get the communities involved in their projects. Thus, Coral Vita ensures the long-term success and sustainability of their efforts.
Research into ocean acidification is very instrumental in attaining UNSDG 14: Life Below Water. Businesses and organizations, duly featured in this article, are playing the lead role in mitigating such an environmental threat through innovation in technologies, sustainable practices, and collaborative efforts. From sustainable seaweed farming to blue carbon, advanced monitoring of the ocean, and coral reef restoration, all these activities not only reduce CO2 levels and enhance the health of the ocean but also provide economic resilience and engage communities.
Projects from Ocean Rainforest, C-Quest Capital, Running Tide, The Ocean Foundation, and others on this list make a compelling case for dedicated efforts through innovative solutions in the ocean conservation department. Their work underline that complex environmental challenges require a fine blend of scientific research, technology innovation, and community engagement.
These organizations therefore offer valuable lessons and models to emulate for startups or business ventures looking to make their contributions toward the health of the ocean. Involving themselves in this global effort on mitigation of ocean acidification and protection of marine ecosystems through taking similar approaches and emphasizing sustainable practice means the creation of new ventures.
In other words, the struggle, and victory of these pioneering organizations offers some hope and cues the way forward for the future of our oceans. If we all work together—innovating, collaborating, and delivering—we can create a healthy, resilient ocean that continues to support biodiversity and the livelihoods that depend on it into the future.
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