Prof. Christopher Pearce
Biography
Chris’ research focusses on understanding the processes that cause, and can help mitigate, global climate change. He is a recognised leader in the evaluation and assessment of marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) approaches and is the scientific and technical lead of the Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment Of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (SEAO2-CDR) Horizon Europe funded project that is developing cross-cutting mechanisms, tools and guidelines for evaluating mCDR techniques. He is also a partner in the Ocean Alkalinity enhancement: Sustainability and Impacts across Scales (OAeSIS) and Measurement And Reporting for responsible marine CO2 removal (MAR-CO2) Horizon Europe projects, and leads the ocean-based climate mitigation research theme of the AtlantiS marine science National Capability programme.
Chris has also evaluated the viability of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), quantifying the effectiveness of CDR via basalt weathering in agricultural environments through the LC3M and ERW GGR-D projects, and has evaluated approaches for monitoring offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). His other activities and research interests include leadership of the NOC’s contributions to the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme that enabled the development of sustainable Blue Economies in Small Island Developing States, the development and application of innovative chemical and isotopic techniques to determine how global systems and processes are affected by environmental perturbations, and investigation of the causes and consequences of climatic events throughout the geological record.
Chris is currently the head of the Marine Biogeochemistry Group at the National Oceanography Centre and holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Southampton.
Chris has also evaluated the viability of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), quantifying the effectiveness of CDR via basalt weathering in agricultural environments through the LC3M and ERW GGR-D projects, and has evaluated approaches for monitoring offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). His other activities and research interests include leadership of the NOC’s contributions to the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme that enabled the development of sustainable Blue Economies in Small Island Developing States, the development and application of innovative chemical and isotopic techniques to determine how global systems and processes are affected by environmental perturbations, and investigation of the causes and consequences of climatic events throughout the geological record.
Chris is currently the head of the Marine Biogeochemistry Group at the National Oceanography Centre and holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Southampton.
Committee Memberships
Chair, UK National Climate Science Partnership Climate Interventions Working Group
Member of the Ocean Visions Leadership team
Member of the Ocean Visions Leadership team
Member of NERC’s National Environmental Isotope Facility Strategy Group
Member of the NOC Association of Marine Science National Capability Beneficiaries ‘Decade Working Group’.
Member of the NERC Peer Review College and UKRI International Development Peer Review College.
Former chair of the Geochemistry Group (a special interest group of the Geological Society of London and Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland).
Projects
Ocean Alkalinity enhancement: Sustainability and Impacts across Scales (OAeSIS) 2026-2030
Horizon Europe project advancing our understanding of the socio-economic and governance dimensions, potential and impacts of OAE.
Horizon Europe project advancing our understanding of the socio-economic and governance dimensions, potential and impacts of OAE.
Measurement And Reporting for responsible marine CO2 removal (MAR-CO2) 2026-2030
Horizon Europe project developing the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification tools needed to realize sustainable marine Carbon Dioxide Removal.
Horizon Europe project developing the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification tools needed to realize sustainable marine Carbon Dioxide Removal.
USV MRV Intercomparison at an Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement field trial 2025-2026
Supporting the design & implementation of an Uncrewed Surface Vessel for comparing MRV protocols during a proposed OAE field trial in Iceland.
Supporting the design & implementation of an Uncrewed Surface Vessel for comparing MRV protocols during a proposed OAE field trial in Iceland.
Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Environmental Impact Assessment Framework (mCDR EIAF) 2025-2027
Developing a holistic EIA Framework to help guide the responsible research and development of mCDR approaches in this Ocean Visions coordinated project.
Developing a holistic EIA Framework to help guide the responsible research and development of mCDR approaches in this Ocean Visions coordinated project.
Atlantic climate and environment strategic science (AtlantiS) 2024-2029
Lead of the ‘Implications and feedbacks of climate mitigation strategies’ research theme within the NERC Single Centre Underpinning National Capability Programme.
Lead of the ‘Implications and feedbacks of climate mitigation strategies’ research theme within the NERC Single Centre Underpinning National Capability Programme.
Strategies for the evaluation and assessment of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (SEAO2-CDR) 2023-2027
Scientific and Technical lead of this Horizon Europe project establishing mechanisms required to help facilitate environmentally safe, socially acceptable and economically viable implementation of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approaches.
Scientific and Technical lead of this Horizon Europe project establishing mechanisms required to help facilitate environmentally safe, socially acceptable and economically viable implementation of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approaches.
Greenhouse gas removal with UK agriculture via enhanced rock weathering 2021–2026
UKRI/BBSRC funded Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrator (GGR-D) project that will provide the first integrated whole system assessment of the science, societal and scalability opportunities and challenges of enhanced rock weathering deployment in UK agriculture.
UKRI/BBSRC funded Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrator (GGR-D) project that will provide the first integrated whole system assessment of the science, societal and scalability opportunities and challenges of enhanced rock weathering deployment in UK agriculture.
Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation (LC3M) 2016–2026
Leverhulme Trust Research Centre that is objectively investigating enhanced rock weathering with agriculture as a strategic negative emissions technology for climate change mitigation, with the co-benefit of delivering resource-efficient sustainable food security.
Leverhulme Trust Research Centre that is objectively investigating enhanced rock weathering with agriculture as a strategic negative emissions technology for climate change mitigation, with the co-benefit of delivering resource-efficient sustainable food security.
Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CME Programme) 2016–2022
UK Government initiative funded through the FCDO that aims to ensure the marine resources that belong to Commonwealth Small Island Developing States are better understood and managed in order to enable sustainable marine economies that create jobs, drive national economic growth, reduce poverty, ensure food security and build resilience.
UK Government initiative funded through the FCDO that aims to ensure the marine resources that belong to Commonwealth Small Island Developing States are better understood and managed in order to enable sustainable marine economies that create jobs, drive national economic growth, reduce poverty, ensure food security and build resilience.
Land Ocean Carbon Transfer (LOCATE) 2016–2020
NERC funded multi-disciplinary project assessing the transfer and fate of terrigeneous organic matter from soils to the ocean, with particular focus on estuaries and coastal waters.
NERC funded multi-disciplinary project assessing the transfer and fate of terrigeneous organic matter from soils to the ocean, with particular focus on estuaries and coastal waters.
Strategies for Environmental Monitoring of Marine Carbon Capture and Storage (STEMM-CCS) 2016–2020
EU Horizon 2020 funded programme addressing the knowledge and capability gaps in approaches, methodologies and technology required for the effective environmental monitoring of offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) sites.
EU Horizon 2020 funded programme addressing the knowledge and capability gaps in approaches, methodologies and technology required for the effective environmental monitoring of offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) sites.
Roles Provided
Head, Marine Biogeochemistry Group
