This new, model-based dataset and tool help characterize how well Direct Ocean Removal (DOR), a marine CDR approach, works depending on where and when it is performed. DOR systems extract CO₂ from the surface ocean for storage or utilization, returning seawater that is depleted in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to the ocean. This DIC-depleted water can then re-equilibrate, absorbing new CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Using a global ocean biogeochemical model, [C]Worthy simulated how DOR leads to atmospheric carbon removal, and how the efficiency of that process depends on the location and season in which CO₂ is extracted from the ocean. The modeling approach mirrors previous work characterizing the efficiency of ocean alkalinity enhancement. Together, [C]Worthy and CarbonPlan have turned this new DOR dataset into an interactive online tool — the DOR Efficiency Map.

• Explore the Interactive Tool

• Read the DOR Efficiency Map Explainer Article

• Compare with the OAE Efficiency Map