Student team earns top prize for innovative CO2 removal monitoring device

Five team members from Equlantic Aquatic Monitoring Inc. presented during the SMART Carbon Dioxide Removal Mission competition in Norway. SOEST oceanography graduate student Cameron Richardson is fourth from left.

A team of five students, including University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa oceanography graduate student Cameron Richardson, secured one of three top prizes of US$10,000 at an international pitch competition focused on approaches for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The student group, which also includes three students from Dalhousie University and one from Acadia University, represented Canada and the United States in the Mission Innovation SMART Carbon Dioxide Removal Mission competition during the 2025 CLIMIT Summit in Larvik, Norway.

“The competition provided an invaluable professional development opportunity for our entire team, and allowed me to make meaningful international connections in the carbon dioxide removal sector, an industry I am considering working in after my graduate research,” said Richardson.

Equlantic Aquatic Monitoring Inc., the new startup founded by the student group, aims to improve monitoring of carbon dioxide removal in marine environments. The team includes Dalhousie undergraduate students Isaac Bahler and Will Myrer, and graduate student Caliyena Brown; Acadia University undergraduate Rowan Norrad; and Richardson, who is an undergraduate alumni of Dalhousie. The students were chosen from a pool of more than 100 other teams as finalists to make their pitch in Larvik, Norway. 

Innovations in monitoring carbon dioxide removal 

In an effort to combat rising levels of CO2, researchers and industry leaders are looking for ways to actively reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere. Among the approaches is marine carbon dioxide removal, wherein carbon from the atmosphere is transformed and sequestered in the deep sea. Along with innovations that prompt carbon sequestration, scientists are developing new ways to assess and monitor the effectiveness of these approaches.   

The Equlantic team designed a sensor package that measures ocean-based water quality, specifically the marine carbonate system. Their design, called the Auto-Spec Carbon Analyzer, integrates commercially-available sensors that measure pH, temperature, salinity, and carbonate.

“Our device, now patent pending in Canada, can reduce uncertainty in our understanding of the carbonate system in areas undergoing various stages of marine-carbon dioxide removal,” said Richardson. “The device also autonomously collects water samples, which can be processed in the laboratory with traditional methods afterward for validation of the autonomous sensor measurements.”

As finalists in the competition, they made a seven-minute presentation to an audience of carbon-management leaders.

“I’m really excited that our project is getting recognition in an emerging industry and I’m hoping that we can contribute to the scientific and engineering framework in the marine carbon dioxide removal industry,” said Richardson.

“It was inspiring to see so many incredibly bright minds that are passionate about this industry,” Myrer added. “In a time when the world is facing an unprecedented and daunting climate crisis, it’s comforting to know that people like those at CLIMIT are out there working to make a difference.” 

Equlantic feels optimistic about the market potential for the project. They are now trying to make this concept a reality, having secured additional funding to develop a prototype this coming summer.

Portions of this content are courtesy of Dalhousie University. Read more on UH News.