Dalhousie University

Purpose

The Ocean Frontier Institute's proposed solution for a more accurate and holistic measurement of the ocean’s ability to continue to absorb carbon is a North Atlantic Carbon Observatory, and is currently seeking broad international support and suggesting that Canada has a unique opportunity to lead this work. An observatory would provide data and measurements to enhance the global understanding of the capacity of the North Atlantic Ocean to continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Development of this solution complements the NRC/DFO Atlantic Science Enterprise Center which focuses on Canadian freshwater and coastal regions. NRC and DFO have been conducting research on estuary respiration within the Atlantic Science Enterprise Center (ASEC) since 2020. Results obtained have shown the capacity of AI and Machine Learning to model changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations which assist in the understanding and anticipation of catastrophic anoxic events as well as a gain in knowledge on carbon sequestration. Recent developments have shown that estuaries have far more potential mitigating climate change than forests. Getting additional data and organizational synergies through a North Atlantic Carbon Observatory (NACO) on carbon capture would dramatically extend ASEC capacities to model the full respiration cycle and its impact to climate change. Critical to the successful design of a North Atlantic Carbon Observatory (NACO) is the assessment of regional data gaps. The goal of this Project is to identify ocean observations across the North Atlantic that are relevant to the ocean carbon / carbonate system and related oceanographic and meteorological data.