Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
This master's prepares you to rigorously assess the marine CO2 removal techniques currently being researched as a complement to emissions reduction. You will study ocean carbon chemistry, ocean alkalinity enhancement, blue carbon, biomass sinking and electrochemical capture, together with their environmental risks, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and the international governance framework, so that you can analyse projects with scientific judgement and without unfounded promises.
Prior knowledge check
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What is the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal?
This master's prepares you to rigorously assess the marine CO2 removal techniques currently being researched as a complement to emissions reduction. You will learn to understand the carbonate system and ocean CO2 uptake, compare biotic and abiotic approaches using consistent criteria, design MRV plans based on observations and models, and analyse ecological impacts and unintended effects, opening the door to research centres, start-ups and climate consultancies.
What sets this master's apart: scientific rigour, with each technique analysed through its chemical basis, potential and uncertainties; a critical perspective on environmental risks, side effects and the limits of current knowledge; MRV at the centre, showing how removed carbon can be measured and verified credibly; governance and ethics, from the international framework to social licence and public participation; and a Final Project in which you carry out the technical, environmental and regulatory assessment of a marine CO2 project.
Programme highlights
- Scientific rigour: each technique analysed through its chemical basis, potential and uncertainties.
- Critical perspective: environmental risks, side effects and the limits of current knowledge.
- MRV at the centre: how to measure and verify removed carbon credibly.
- Governance and ethics: the international framework, social licence and public participation.
- Honest framing: removal studied as a complement to emissions reduction, never as a substitute.
- Final Project: the technical, environmental and regulatory assessment of a marine CO2 project.
Syllabus of the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
11 modules. Select a module to see its content.
The Ocean and the Global Carbon Cycle
- 1.1. The global carbon budget
- 1.2. The role of the ocean as a sink
- 1.3. Ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange
- 1.4. The solubility pump
- 1.5. The biological carbon pump
- 1.6. Dissolved and particulate organic carbon
- 1.7. Storage in sediments
- 1.8. Timescales of permanence
- 1.9. Response of the sink to climate change
- 1.10. Why CO2 removal is being studied
Chemistry of the Carbonate System
- 2.1. Carbonate equilibrium
- 2.2. pH, alkalinity and inorganic carbon
- 2.3. Buffering capacity of seawater
- 2.4. Calcium carbonate saturation
- 2.5. Ocean acidification
- 2.6. Measuring carbonate parameters
- 2.7. Calculations with open tools
- 2.8. Natural variability of the system
- 2.9. Chemistry in coastal areas
- 2.10. Common interpretation errors
Overview of Marine CO2 Removal
- 3.1. Mitigation versus removal
- 3.2. Classification of marine approaches
- 3.3. Technology readiness level
- 3.4. Theoretical and realistic potential
- 3.5. Durability of storage
- 3.6. Scalability and limitations
- 3.7. Benchmark international assessments
- 3.8. Role in IPCC scenarios
- 3.9. Risk of mitigation deterrence
- 3.10. Current research agenda
Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement
- 4.1. Chemical basis of alkalinity enhancement
- 4.2. Alkaline minerals and materials
- 4.3. Accelerated coastal weathering
- 4.4. Addition at treatment plants
- 4.5. Secondary carbonate precipitation
- 4.6. Effects on marine organisms
- 4.7. Dispersion and mixing in the ocean
- 4.8. Quantifying additional CO2 uptake
- 4.9. Laboratory and field experiments
- 4.10. Scale-up challenges
Biological Approaches and Blue Carbon
- 5.1. Blue carbon in mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows
- 5.2. Coastal ecosystem restoration
- 5.3. Large-scale macroalgae cultivation
- 5.4. Sinking biomass to the deep ocean
- 5.5. Nutrient fertilisation
- 5.6. Artificial upwelling
- 5.7. Uncertainties of biotic approaches
- 5.8. Nutrient competition and remote effects
- 5.9. Biodiversity co-benefits
- 5.10. Lessons from past experiments
Electrochemical and Engineered Approaches
- 6.1. Direct CO2 capture from seawater
- 6.2. Electrochemical acidity and alkalinity processes
- 6.3. Integration with desalination plants
- 6.4. Integration with power plants
- 6.5. Renewable energy requirements
- 6.6. Products and by-products
- 6.7. Geological storage of captured CO2
- 6.8. Life cycle assessment
- 6.9. Costs and learning curves
- 6.10. Status of pilot projects
Environmental Risks and Impacts
- 7.1. Environmental impact assessment framework
- 7.2. Effects on plankton
- 7.3. Effects on calcifying organisms
- 7.4. Trace metals and impurities
- 7.5. Changes in turbidity and light
- 7.6. Deoxygenation and deep-water effects
- 7.7. Interaction with fishing and aquaculture
- 7.8. Cumulative effects
- 7.9. Ecological monitoring
- 7.10. The precautionary principle
Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV)
- 8.1. Principles of an MRV system
- 8.2. Baseline and additionality
- 8.3. Direct measurement in the ocean
- 8.4. The role of ocean models
- 8.5. Uncertainty and safety margins
- 8.6. Permanence and reversal
- 8.7. Leakage and indirect effects
- 8.8. Independent verification
- 8.9. Transparency and open data
- 8.10. Designing an MRV plan
Governance, Law and Markets
- 9.1. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- 9.2. The London Convention and Protocol
- 9.3. Convention on Biological Diversity
- 9.4. National regulation of activities at sea
- 9.5. Permits for field experiments
- 9.6. Voluntary carbon markets
- 9.7. Methodologies and certification standards
- 9.8. Integrity of carbon credits
- 9.9. Accounting in national inventories
- 9.10. Liability and redress for damage
Ethics, Society and Communication
- 10.1. Ethics of intervening in the ocean
- 10.2. Climate justice and the distribution of risks
- 10.3. Engaging coastal communities
- 10.4. Social licence to operate
- 10.5. Public perception of geoengineering
- 10.6. Communicating uncertainty
- 10.7. Avoiding greenwashing
- 10.8. Responsible research
- 10.9. Research governance
- 10.10. Dialogue between science, business and society
Final Project
- 11.1. Selecting the technique and the site
- 11.2. Reviewing the state of knowledge
- 11.3. Oceanographic characterisation of the area
- 11.4. Estimating removal potential
- 11.5. Life cycle assessment
- 11.6. Environmental risk assessment
- 11.7. Designing the MRV plan
- 11.8. Regulatory and social analysis
- 11.9. Writing the project report
- 11.10. Presentation to an assessment panel
Duration and format of the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
It is 1,500 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the instalment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programmes.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
Career opportunities after the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
Questions about the Master's in Ocean Geoengineering and Marine CO2 Removal
No. Most are at research or pilot stage. The master's analyses them together with their uncertainties, without presenting them as proven solutions.
No. They are studied as a possible complement, never as an alternative to cutting emissions.
It is not essential. The programme covers the fundamentals of marine carbon chemistry.
Yes. You use open oceanographic data, published results and freely available calculation tools.
You carry out a technical, environmental, regulatory and social assessment of a marine CO2 removal project.
The master's is taught entirely online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, recorded live sessions and tutorials. It comprises 1500 hours of study across 11 modules of about 136 hours each, and you progress at your own pace within the schedule you are given on enrolment.
More programmes in Climate and oceanography
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enrol in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at graduates in marine sciences, chemistry, physics or engineering who wish to specialise in carbon removal, professionals at climate and carbon market companies who assess projects and methodologies, public administration staff who must regulate or authorise experiments at sea, environmental consultants who analyse the impacts of new marine technologies, and researchers who want to broaden their perspective towards application and governance. A degree in marine sciences, chemistry, physics, environmental sciences, engineering or a related field, or proven professional experience in the climate, environmental or maritime sectors, is recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrolmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enrol
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.