🌊 Event Recap: Submarine co-hosts Panel on mCDR MRV at Ocean Visions ‘25
At the 2025 Ocean Visions Summit, Submarine Scientific co-hosted a 90-minute session with the Carbon to Sea Initiative focused on one of the field’s most urgent challenges: how to build robust, transparent, and scalable Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).
Session Title: Moving the Needle on MRV: Insights and Learnings from Data Standard Development, First Verifications, and a Look to Other Industries
🧭 Session Overview
Through a series of focused presentations and a dynamic panel discussion, the session explored key themes shaping the future of MRV in mCDR:
The development and application of data management guidelines for ocean-based carbon removal
Insights from third-party verification bodies (VVBs) involved in first-of-their-kind field trials
Approaches to model validation and measurement-model integration
Lessons from adjacent sectors, such as aquaculture and offshore energy, to inform emerging mCDR practices
👥 Speakers & Panelists
Jacki Long, Submarine Scientific – on metadata standards and the importance of shared protocols
Veronica Tamsitt, Submarine Scientific – on model validation insights and open questions
Lily Schacht, 350Solutions – on verification processes and MRV implications for crediting
Thomas Peacock, MIT – on achieving confidence in models through integrated measurements
Sherry Lippiatt, [C]Worthy – on aquaculture MRV parallels and building data trust
Anna Madlener, Carbon to Sea – moderated the panel and audience Q&A
Irene Polnyi, Carbon to Sea – introduced the session with context from field trial progress
🔑 Key Takeaways
Standardization is foundational: Submarine’s work on the OAE data protocols is informing real-world implementation across field and model data, helping to streamline MRV for current and future projects.
Verification is complex, but maturing: The first mCDR verifications highlighted both technical and organizational challenges—from crediting timelines to data licensing—and the value of early community engagement.
Modeling needs continuous trust-building: Both Veronica Tamsitt and Tom Peacock emphasized the importance of independent validation loops and tight model-measurement integration.
Cross-sector learning accelerates progress: Aquaculture and offshore wind offer valuable precedents for operationalizing large-scale, real-time environmental monitoring and verification frameworks.
This session exemplified Submarine Scientific’s commitment to advancing transparent, interoperable, and fit-for-purpose MRV systems—ensuring the credibility and scalability of marine-based carbon removal efforts.
