Overview
The Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) is currently funding four Research & Development projects focused on farmed kelp carbon sequestration projects that aim to support new economic opportunities and increase Alaska’s competitive advantage in the marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) market. These projects will provide critical information about Alaska’s potential competitive advantages in the mCDR market and offer insight into how the mariculture industry can be a leader in that market. The Carbon Sequestration Program also supports applied research that explores how Alaska’s ecosystems can contribute to global carbon reduction efforts while improving marketability of Alaska’s mariculture products and strengthening the state’s mariculture industry.
Building on a report written by Oceanid Climate & Carbon Solutions (OCCS) that assesses Alaska’s potential role in emerging carbon sequestration markets and provides an overview of mCDR approaches, the Carbon Sequestration Program will continue to explore how Alaska’s natural resources and mariculture industry can contribute to this sector. The report, which provides an overview of Alaska’s potential role in mCDR, a summary of the status of macroalgae-based carbon removal, and an outline of mCDR pathways with potential applicability in Alaska, lays the groundwork for the four selected projects.
These four projects, selected through a competitive RFP in October 2025, will bring innovation to Alaska and position the state’s mariculture industry to become a future leader in carbon sequestration.
- University of Alaska Fairbanks: Estimating Dissolved Organic Carbon Release by Farmed Kelp
- Native Village of Eyak: Kelp-Based Amendments to Increase Agricultural Carbon Storage
- Alaska Center for Energy and Power: Advancing a Dual-Function Soil Amendment for Carbon Sequestration and Soil Health Using Alaska-Grown Kelp and Glacial Flour
- Kelson Marine: Quantifying the Fate of Kelp Particles Sloughed from Alaskan Mariculture Sites
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Estimating Dissolved Organic Carbon Release by Farmed Kelp
Funding: $98,500
Region: Kenai Peninsula, Southwest Alaska (Kodiak), Prince William Sound
This study investigates how farmed kelp releases dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which is an important but under-measured component of ocean carbon storage, especially in the context of mariculture. Through controlled incubations and temperature trials, researchers will quantify DOC fluxes from Alaska-grown Alaria marginata (ribbon kelp) and determine how environmental conditions influence long-term carbon sequestration. This project will focus primarily on A. marginata in order to address intra-species variation of physiology that may result from local adaptation in farmed kelp populations. UAF’s work will determine whether there are site-specific differences in A. marginata DOC production, establish whether temperature affects DOC production changes, and explore how these variables interact. The project supports a graduate student at UAF and will provide some of the first empirical DOC data for Alaska’s mariculture industry, strengthening future carbon accounting models and “blue carbon” verification methods.
Interim Update [Pending]
Final Report [Pending]
Native Village of Eyak
Kelp-Based Amendments to Increase Agricultural Carbon Storage
Funding: $113,313
Region: Prince William Sound
NVE’s project will explore how kelp-based soil amendments can enhance carbon storage and soil health in Alaska’s agricultural systems. Building on promising pilot studies, the team will test combinations of sugar kelp and recycled cardboard to balance carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and measure resulting changes in soil microbial activity, CO₂ flux, and nutrient retention. This project will use laboratory and field experiments to determine whether combining carbon amendments with Alaskan sugar kelp can effectively increase carbon sequestration in soils, which in turn directly supports local kelp farmers by creating an early market for climate-positive agricultural products derived from Alaska seaweed. This project will be led by Caitlin McKinstry from NVE and Dr. Erin Oliver from Washington State University. NVE will work with Prince William Sound College and the Matanuska Experiment Farm to carry out this project, and work with ACEP, another awardee under AMC’s Carbon Sequestration program, to share information and coordinate research efforts, exemplifying collaboration within Alaska’s mariculture industry.
Interim Update [Pending]
Final Report [Pending]
Alaska Center for Energy and Power
Advancing a Dual-Function Soil Amendment for Carbon Sequestration and Soil Health Using Alaska-Grown Kelp and Glacial Flour
Funding: $175,629
Region: All Regions
A separate project from the two described above, this study – a master’s thesis project by a University of Alaska Fairbanks student – examined polysaccharides concentrations in farmed kelp in Alaska. These carbohydrates are a focus of several seaweed processing startup companies, with applications in health supplements, medicine, and other markets. This study assessed the relative abundance of four carbohydrates (glucan, mannitol, alginate, and fucoidan) in bull, ribbon, and sugar kelp. AMC funds supported purchases of cultivated kelp, sampling supplies, and lab services. Cameron Jardell, lead researcher at UAF, continues to be involved in development of Alaska mariculture industry and currently works on kelp gametophyte seeding research at the Chugach Regional Resources Commission in Seward.
Interim Update [Pending]
Final Report [Pending]
Kelson Marine
Quantifying the Fate of Kelp Particles Sloughed from Alaskan Mariculture Sites
Funding: $115,802
Region: All Regions
A separate project from the two described above, this study – a master’s thesis project by a University of Alaska Fairbanks student – examined polysaccharides concentrations in farmed kelp in Alaska. These carbohydrates are a focus of several seaweed processing startup companies, with applications in health supplements, medicine, and other markets. This study assessed the relative abundance of four carbohydrates (glucan, mannitol, alginate, and fucoidan) in bull, ribbon, and sugar kelp. AMC funds supported purchases of cultivated kelp, sampling supplies, and lab services. Cameron Jardell, lead researcher at UAF, continues to be involved in development of Alaska mariculture industry and currently works on kelp gametophyte seeding research at the Chugach Regional Resources Commission in Seward.
Interim Update [Pending]
Final Report [Pending]
Carbon Sequestration Program News
Read more about the Carbon Sequestration Program below:
