The ocean is one of the biggest carbon sinks on Earth. It transports both inorganic (e.g. CO2) and organic (e.g. dead phytoplankton, fecal pellets) carbon to the deep ocean, removing over 30% anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere annually. The efficiency of the marine biological carbon pump, referred to as the percentage of organic carbon produced in the surface ocean that reaches the ocean interior, is one key mechanism that affects the ocean’s ability to sequester anthropogenic CO2. Blue carbon refers specifically to this sequestered carbon stored in the productive coastal exosystems where sedimentation rates can be extremely high. Increasing blue carbon storage and the marine biological carbon pump efficiency would theoretically contribute to lowering atmospheric CO2 and global temperature as proposed, for example, via ‘iron fertilization’. This course will cover the concepts and theories of climate change, marine biogeochemical cycles, and marine geoengineering and policies that aim to insure successful implementation of better, sustainable ocean carbon management. Through the lectures and in-class discussion, student will gain a comprehensive understanding on the significance of developing a healthy blue carbon scheme within the UN Sustainable Development Goals Climate Action and Life Below Water, the actions they can take to achieve a healthier ocean, and how to make their voices heard on a global scale. Students are expected to work in small groups of 5-6 to develop a research topic of their choice within the framework of marine carbon cycle and management, which they will present and discuss with their peers in the class.     

Instructor 1（PI）:Ruifang Xie

Dr. Ruifang Xie is a tenure-track Associate Professor in the School of Oceanography at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2013, and has worked at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research as a postdoc/PI until 2021. Her research interests rest on marine biogeochemistry and carbon cycle. In particular, she is interested in trace elements and their isotopes (e.g., Fe, Cd, Ba, Th, Nd, Sr, Pb) in the ocean and land-ocean boundaries, and their roles as tracers in the modern and past environment for fluxes, sources and sinks, and biogeochemical processes. These isotopes allow her to quantify the sinking flux of particulate organic matter produced in the surface ocean, and the efficiency of the ocean in sequestering carbon dioxide from then atmosphere.

Instructor 2: Mark James Hopwood

Mark James Hopwood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology. He completed a PhD at the University of Southampton (UK) before moving to GEOMAR (Germany) as a postdoctoral researcher. His research focuses on marine biogeochemistry in shelf seas, investigating how climate change is affecting fluxes of metals, nutrients and carbon across the land-to-ocean continuum. He led 2022 (Ice Disko) and 2024 (Polar Beast) expeditions to Greenland, has participated in 10 research cruises and spent over 10 months deployed on polar fieldwork. He is an associate editor for Journal Geophysical Research: Oceans (AGU).

Instructor 3: Shenghui Li

Shenghui Li is a lecturer and researcher at Guangdong Ocean University, focusing on marine spatial planning (MSP), marine protected areas (MPAs), and sustainable ocean governance. Shenghui is a member of the MSP Research Netwoark and tries to contribute to MSP education and research. Prior to being a lecturer, Shenghui had interdisciplinary education and work experience between marine natural science and marine social science, including a joint PhD in Marine Affairs at Xiamen University and the University of Liverpool, and a post-doctoral researcher at the School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She holds significant leadership roles in the international scientific community, serving as a Co-chair of both the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network (IMECaN) and the Acting Knowledge Committee of the International Platform for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS). Through her work with global and regional partners, she actively promotes stronger interfaces between ocean science, policy, and society.

1. Be familiar with the concepts and theories of climate change and marine carbon cycle

2. Understand the significance of marine carbon pumps within the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and the extent to which blue carbon schemes matter in the context of the global carbon cycle

3. Be familiar with concepts related to marine geoengineering technologies, and be able to critically assess the pros and cons of attempting to develop various marine geoengineering actions

4. Be familiar with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and management schemes

Attendance: 30%;

In-class participation and discussion: 30%;

Final group presentation: 40%

Ruifang Xie, ruifang.xie@sjtu.edu.cn

Mark Hopwood mark@sustech.edu.cn

Shenghui Li lishenghui1227@163.com