Running Tide

Running Tide amplifies the ocean’s natural processes to move excess carbon in the fast carbon cycle (the atmosphere, biosphere, and upper ocean) to long-term storage in the slow carbon cycle (geological reservoirs, deep ocean).

Their system design includes buoys made from remnants of logging operations, which contain carbon that would otherwise be burned or left to decompose. Coated with calcium carbonate (such as limestone) and seeded with macroalgae (such as kelp), the buoys are dispersed via ocean currents and float for an optimal period of time, capturing additional carbon and contributing to ocean alkalinity enhancement, before sinking to the deep ocean for long-term storage.

Running Tide’s approach is simple and scalable, powered by photosynthesis, ocean currents, and gravity.

Running Tide’s carbon removal system sits at a unique intersection of technology and nature. By amplifying the natural processes of the ocean - gravity, currents, and the biological pump - carbon is efficiently moved from the fast cycle (the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the upper layers of the ocean) to safe, long-term storage in the slow cycle (geological storage and the deep ocean).

By amplifying existing, natural processes, Running Tide’s solution is highly scalable, while avoiding issues of land competition or prohibitive levels of energy required. Running Tide’s system also delivers significant co-benefits in addition to carbon removal credits – positively impacting ocean health, biodiversity, and coastal communities.

Running Tide was founded by Marty Odlin, a systems engineer and descendant of a 4th generation commercial fishing family. He dedicated his career to restoring ocean health after witnessing the impacts of climate change on his coastal community in Portland, Maine.

In 2017, Running Tide set out to improve ocean health by building the most data-rich, sustainable shellfish system in the world, to enable regenerative aquaculture and ecosystem restoration at a global scale. Today, their solutions have grown to include ocean health measurement and diagnostics, ocean-based carbon removal, sustainable aquaculture, nature-inclusive design, and ecosystem restoration.

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• Ocean Visions - Running Tide is proud to have partnered with Ocean Visions, a leading ocean nonprofit organization, to convene and manage our independent Scientific Advisory Board. This Board regularly advises on various aspects related to Running Tide’s foundational science, quantification methods, and approach.
• Shopify and Stripe Climate - Running Tide works closely with leaders and innovators in the carbon removal space, including Shopify and Stripe Climate, who are working to catalyze the nascent market for durable carbon removal. Running Tide works closely with these organizations to advocate for and collaborate around improving measurement, quantification and certification for the removals industry as a whole.
• Government of Iceland - Running Tide has partnered with the Government of Iceland on our first carbon removal project, where we operate out of two locations north of Reykjavik with direct access to the North Atlantic, via a first-of-its-kind open ocean carbon removal research permit.

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The ocean is critical to human and planetary health - yet ocean health is in rapid and accelerating decline. Running Tide believes that we have the responsibility — and the ability — to act.

Running Tide is a global ocean health company. Their world-class, multidisciplinary teams design and implement ocean health interventions that rebalance the carbon cycle, decarbonize global supply chains, restore marine ecosystems, and revitalize coastal communities.

“We must rapidly scale ocean health solutions, particularly ocean carbon removal, so that all life on Earth can have an abundant future. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and Running Tide is proud to partner with Klimate to scale climate solutions that are desperately needed.”

Marty Odlin - CEO at Running Tide

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