Finnley Ross
PhD Candidate
Deakin Marine Research and Innovation Centre
Deakin University, Burwood campus
221 Burwood Hwy, VIC 3125
Finn's research
Finn is a PhD candidate researching seaweed as a nature based solution to climate change in a partnership between the Blue Carbon lab and Sea Green. Finn is investigating the contribution of seaweed (macroalgae) to ocean carbon drawdown and conducting a feasibility assessment of large-scale seaweed cultivation as a nature-based solution to climate change. This includes analysis of the scale of opportunity for seaweed cultivation and economic, ecological, and social considerations around large scale seaweed cultivation.
Specifically, Finn is exploring four areas – 1) Protection and restoration of wild seaweed forests. 2) Expanding nearshore seaweed aquaculture. 3) Offsetting industrial CO2 emissions via use of seaweed products. 4) Promoting ocean afforestation by growing seaweed in the open.
Finn wants to find out if there is an opportunity to sell seaweed carbon credits on official and voluntary carbon markets. As part of his work Finn is measuring carbon sequestration and emissions at seaweed farms in Indonesia.
Supervisory team: Prof Peter Macreadie (Deakin), Fred Puckle Hobbs (Sea Green), Patrick Tarbuck (Sea Green)
Funding: Sea Green and Blue Carbon Lab
Keywords
Blue Carbon, seaweed, macroalgae, carbon offset, environmental economics, ecology
Career Highlights
- BSc (First Class Honours) Biological Sciences with Ecology endorsement, University of Canterbury (2017-2020)
- Provost Scholarship recipient University of California Davis (2017)
- Winner of the UCE Social Enterprise Competition (2019)
- Semi-finalist Climate Impact Awards (2020)
- Sustainability Manager, Lake Hawea Station (2018-present)
- Co-Chair, Future Farmers NZ (2021-present)
- Founder of Carbonz (2021-present)
Selected media
Deep Sea Moonshot Solution for Climate, The New Daily (2022)
Capturing carbon with seaweed, University of Canterbury Science Radio (2021)
Anderson’s Odyssey Podcast (2020)
Selected publications
Friess DA, Howard J, Huxham M, Macreadie PI, and Ross F, 2022. Capitalizing on the global financial interest in blue carbon. PLOS Climate, 1(8): e0000061.
Ross F, Tarbuck T, Macreadie PI, 2022. Seaweed afforestation at large-scales exclusively for carbon sequestration: critical assessment of risks, viability and the state of knowledge. Frontiers in Marine Science 9: 2269
