Current rates of greenhouse gas emissions reductions are insufficient, and the scientific consensus is that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) must complement rapid, deep, and sustained emissions reductions to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change. There are several potential approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), only a few of which appear capable of operating at climatically relevant scales. Among these, iron-enhanced plankton productivity is the most extensively studied. The numerous iron enrichment experiments conducted over the past three decades have greatly advanced our understanding of ocean biogeochemistry, ecosystem responses, and the processes governing phytoplankton growth. However, these experiments were intentionally small in scale and designed to address fundamental scientific questions rather than evaluate deployment-scale carbon dioxide removal. Consequently, they cannot determine the efficiency and durability of carbon dioxide removal or reliably assess the ecological and biogeochemical consequences of ocean iron fertilization at climatically relevant scales. Addressing these questions requires a new generation of larger, longer-duration pilot-scale field studies. Such studies must quantify both the magnitude and durability of carbon dioxide removal (i.e., ≥100 years) while simultaneously evaluating the associated environmental and ecological impacts. This presentation will describe how the Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS), a consortium of institutions (oceaniron.org), housed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is addressing these scientific questions alongside the associated governance, regulatory, and societal considerations through a transparent and responsible research program. Planning is underway for permit applications for these pilot-scale field studies, and we welcome broad scientific input to strengthen the experimental design and maximize its value to the research community. ExOIS takes no position on the use of ocean iron fertilization for mCDR. Rather, it is committed to advancing a responsible code of conduct and generating the evidence needed to assess its scientific viability, environmental consequences, and social acceptability.

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