Where We Stand On RMI’s Marine CDR MRV Roadmap
At Gigablue, we welcome the marine CDR MRV roadmap published by RMI and [C]Worthy as yet another important milestone in the growth of the industry. It offers a framework for aligning developers, investors, regulators, and communities on what credible monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) should look like. Standardized tools like this help ensure that as the industry scales, trust and transparency remain at the core of every solution.
In this blog, we share how Gigablue approaches several of the roadmap’s key elements. Our focus has always been to design MRV practices that are scientifically sound and efficiently scalable.
Another M for ‘Monitoring’
Important note: at Gigablue we go a step further by adding an extra M to MRV for Monitoring. For us, monitoring is not just a component of measurement but a standalone priority. Our projects begin with baseline environmental monitoring to understand site-specific conditions before any intervention. During research activities, continuous monitoring ensures operational safety, ecosystem protection, and compliance. Afterward, extended monitoring helps validate permanence and provides communities, regulators, and buyers with confidence that carbon remains durably stored. Adding this additional “M” reflects our commitment to environmental integrity, accurate carbon accounting, and high transparency throughout the full lifecycle of our projects.
How Gigablue Approaches The Steps in RMI’s MRV Roadmap
1. Develop and document an MMRV strategy
From the start, Gigablue built its MMRV strategy in close collaboration with expert international advisors. Our MMRV methodology follows the guidelines in Puro.earth’s Microalgae Carbon Fixation and Sinking (MCFS) methodology which was subject to diligent public review before being approved as part of the Puro Standard. Our MMRV approach is unique, robust, reviewed, and tested. It aims to address the most important issues, namely - successful fixation and sinking, environmental safety, and permanent storage.
2. Designate an MMRV/quantification lead
Instead of designating a single person to deal with MMRV, we use a hybrid model: strong in-house integrators from different fields of expertise who draw on the knowledge of external advisors. In addition, we decided early on to digitize our MMRV processes with Alcove. Together, this creates a strong synergy between science and marine operations, enables external oversight, and ensures our MMRV work is practical and reliable.
3. Identify, acquire, and test a technology stack
Our MMRV technology stack combines modeling with direct measurement. We work with Oceanum on model development and with researchers from numerous world leading scientific institutes. We intentionally rely as much as possible on standard, tried-and-tested oceanographic tools rather than creating our own. Recently, we developed a dedicated underwater ROV with standard tools on it. Our R&D roadmap is designed to continually improve the reliability and durability of MMRV outcomes.
4. Adopt/develop an MMRV protocol
Gigablue collaborates closely with Puro.earth on methodology development. Every one of Puro’s methodologies undergoes “stress tests” to confirm it applies broadly across approaches rather than being engineered for one pathway. During Puro’s public consultations, fellow developers in the mCDR space raised their own needs which were validated or integrated into the methodology.
5. Draft project-specific MMRV plans
Our MMRV protocol is a practical implementation of the framework outlined by Puro.earth for MCFS. To enable streamlined, rigorous carbon accounting, it is not meant to change. Minor adjustments between research activities, due to small variations in seasonal site conditions, may sometimes require instrumentation or mathematical adaptation. Alcove Labs provides the platform where our MMRV plans are managed, creating a structured audit trail before, during, and after every activity.
6. Data management system
Alcove also underpins our data management. It ensures that all sampling, modeling, and reporting data is transparent, traceable, and accessible to independent auditors. This creates confidence for credit issuance and reinforces accountability.
7. Designate monitoring and modeling teams
We combine in-house expertise with external advisors, both in the local jurisdictions where we work, and globally. This dual structure allows us to capture high-quality near-field measurements while maintaining the basin-scale modeling required to quantify long-term carbon storage.
8. Collect, analyze, and report project data
Our MMRV system will be integrated with Puro’s independent auditing process. Alcove will package the data, which auditors then validate before credits are issued. Each project serves as a learning cycle, and our processes will continuously be improved to account for natural variability and operational uncertainty.
9. Share lessons with the CDR industry
We take a three-pronged approach to knowledge sharing:
Disseminating findings publicly where possible.
Progressing peer-reviewed science outputs while carefully balancing intellectual property protection.
Active collaboration from day one, including methodology work, participation in conferences, and community initiatives.
Robust MMRV is the foundation of trust in marine carbon removal. RMI’s roadmap provides a valuable tool for aligning expectations across the ecosystem, and Gigablue is already applying many of its principles in practice.
Ultimately, our approach to MMRV is scientifically designed to support meticulous quantification at scale and be inherently transparent. We are committed to contributing to the collective growth of mCDR by working with partners, regulators, communities, and peers towards the common goal: net-zero.
