Biden-Harris Administration invests $2.1 million for measuring surface ocean carbon through the Investing in America agenda

Biden-Harris Administration invests $2.1 million for measuring surface ocean carbon through the Investing in America agenda

Published 3 June 2024 Web sites and blogs Leave a Comment

Funding will expand observations, improve forecasting of carbon dioxide levels in the ocean surface and atmosphere

A rosette of sample bottles being recovered from the water during the 2023 A16N GO-SHIP cruise on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, which traveled from Suape, Brazil, to Reykjavik, Iceland. Devices such as this one will be used to monitor carbon as a part of this BIL funding. (Image credit: Laura Cimoli)

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the award of $2.1 million to support surface ocean and atmospheric carbon observations and monitoring through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. These funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow NOAA to expand a global network of sensors to track carbon dioxide in the ocean. They will also serve to improve the understanding and forecasting of global climatic and environmental changes. 

“Thanks to President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment of over $2 million will help NOAA continue leading the way on the vital work to observe and forecast the impacts of climate change globally,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “It will also create innovative partnerships with private companies to improve carbon emissions tracking and strengthen the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reduce atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.”

Monitoring changes in surface ocean and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) is key to understanding the impact of human-caused emissions on climate change and ocean health. The ocean naturally absorbs approximately a quarter of carbon dioxide released by fossil fuel burning and other human activities. This natural absorption reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that remain in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. However, the increase of concentration of CO₂ in the ocean can also have negative implications for the broader marine ecosystems, notably ocean acidification. 

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The funds will allow NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program to deploy new CO₂ sensors in climate-critical regions, helping to fill important data gaps in these undersampled areas. This effort is part of the Surface Ocean CO₂ Reference Observing Network (SOCONET), a global network of automated measurements of atmospheric and surface ocean CO₂ concentrations.

Monitoring efforts will provide policymakers with information on the global carbon cycle for climate negotiations and action. Tracking carbon in the ocean is an important component of NOAA’s broader efforts to understand the impact of greenhouse gases on climate. Monitoring and observing can also help experts to track the impacts to international ocean health — such as ocean acidification — and can inform ecosystem and fisheries management.

SOCONET will improve the ability to track carbon emissions and uptakes, which are essential for verifying the U.S. commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Global Carbon Stocktakeoffsite link, the World Meteorological Organization Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W)offsite link and the Paris Climate Agreementoffsite link to monitor and reduce atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. 

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NOAA, 30 May 2024. Full article.

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