As I sit down to write this article, I smile. Inside a quaint coffee shop in mountainous Colorado, the music is pleasant and the air is clean. A SCUBA diver since the age of twelve, I daydream of colorful reefs filled with elegant rays, happy turtles, and fish schools that swim like rivers across a saltwater paradise.

These dreams fill my head, yet a glance out the window dissipates my smile. Just a few feet away, separated by less than an inch of glass, the air is filled with a grey haze, casting a smoky shadow over the mountains. A grim reminder of the wildfires raging across my nation, and that even in a year filled with such turmoil - our greatest challenges may yet be ahead.

Fueled by man-made emissions, worsened wildfires are only one consequence of a changing climate. In my lifetime, I have personally witnessed beloved coral reefs turn bone white, populations of magnificent and colorful sea stars vanish, and once lush kelp forests be reduced to urchin-filled barrens. The threat of climate change is very real, and it’s already having drastic consequences.

Yet, as the coffee sipped from my reusable mug warms my body, I’m reminded that there is always hope. Standing at this precipice, we have a real opportunity for human ingenuity to shine, solutions to be discovered, and hope in a better future to take hold.  So even here - so far away from vibrant tide pools, kelp forests, or coral seas… I can’t help but think of the solutions the mighty oceans might afford us, perhaps from the most unlikely of places.

Seagrasses, Marshes, and Mangroves – Oh My!

When you think of the kinds of habitats you might find underwater, what do you think of? Coral reefs, no doubt. Kelp forests and blue open water, sure. But there’s a habitat oft overlooked by snorkeler and diver alike: the majestic meadow. Just like their terrestrial counterparts, marine meadows are covered in a thick blanket of grass. These seagrasses cover only 0.1% of the ocean floor (1), yet, they are mighty: not only can some meadows be seen from space (2), seagrass meadows alone are estimated to be responsible for eleven percent of carbon burial in the ocean (1)! Eleven percent! As true plants, seagrasses use atmospheric carbon in photosynthesis – fueling growth of extensive root systems that trap the carbon in the sediment.

Once used and “trapped” in this way, carbon can remain in the sediment – and out of our atmosphere – for hundreds to thousands of years (3). Seagrasses are not the only environments with this superpower, either: mangroves and tidal marshes also sequester atmospheric carbon, and in no small dose (3). So it stands to reason that by this saltwater solution - supporting the growth, protection, and rehabilitation of these incredible ecosystems - we could be well on our way to stemming the carbon tide.

Let the Ocean Kelp Us

Do you like to try new foods, or watch the Food Network? Let’s be honest – discovering new cuisines is one of life’s pleasures. So here’s a novel concept: how about we make our love of food work for us in a climate changing world? So, to the chefs and gourmands among us, I ask: why not kelp?

The idea of farming kelp as food falls into the exciting concept of regenerative agriculture: farming food in a way that helps the climate and local ecosystems, rather than harming them (4). On land, this restores soil health and creates food-producing ecosystems that capture carbon (5).

In the ocean, these practices focus on intentionally growing seaweed and shellfish – foods that not only taste great, but capture carbon from the atmosphere and restore degraded habitats, to boot (6,7). As macroalgae, seaweed species reduce atmospheric carbon by photosynthesis, while the shellfish filter seawater: consuming organic matter and actually increasing water quality (8). And that’s just one example of restorative aquaculture: another saltwater solution to a changing climate. Profitable offshore farms that combat climate change, produce delicious food, AND help restore marine ecosystems? Sign me up!

Of course, industry is driven by demand, and currently US demand for kelp as a food is rather low. But, as diner and chef alike, we have the power to create it – by the simple choices of what we use in the kitchen.

A Deeper Understanding

None of these exciting climate solutions would be possible had we not the knowledge of these processes in the first place. So it’s incredibly exciting to think about the kinds of saltwater solutions we still have yet to discover. This thrill of exploration and discovery is perhaps no better represented anywhere on earth than in the deepest parts of our watery world.

Down in the shifting sediments of the abyss lies an unexpected treasure trove of knowledge. Studies into sediment cores and tiny, gorgeous organisms called Foramenifera have yielded surprising fruit: a model of past climate patterns stretching back 66 million years (9)! By studying patterns within, we can glimpse the future, and create better, stronger, and more accurate models of climate.

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Of course, the deep sea isn’t just a font of information. It’s an active fighter for carbon removal, too: tiny bacteria in the deep ocean muck are hungry for the stuff! A 2018 study demonstrated these bacteria are able to consume carbon and use it to grow (10, 11). We have absolutely no idea how they do this, but the study authors predict a potential bacterial carbon removal of up to 200 million tons of CO2 per year (10)! This kind of newly discovered process is absolutely thrilling to think about! If we understood it, what kinds of climate solutions might we be able to conceive?

I really love to think about the future, and these saltwater solutions afford us both a challenge and opportunity. So even in a world where smoke-filled air makes things seem hopeless, I know that with enough hard work and cooperation, we can tackle this challenge together – and create a beautiful, blue future.