In 2015, Paul Allen ponied up $1.5 million to investigate kelp cultivation as a potential strategy for mitigating ocean acidification. Dr. Joth Davis, senior scientist for PSRF, said 25 percent of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere are absorbed into the ocean. “The resulting change in seawater chemistry is known as ocean acidification because it increases the acidity of seawater over time and makes calcium carbonate less available to marine species,” Davis said.