Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Curtailing Global Warming with Bioengineering?  Iron Fertilization Won't Work in Much of Pacific

With the right mix of nutrients, phytoplankton grow quickly, creating blooms visible from space. This image, created from MODIS data, shows a phytoplankton bloom off New Zealand. (Credit: Robert Simmon and Jesse Allen/NASA) Click to Enlarge.
Over the past half-million years, the equatorial Pacific Ocean has seen five spikes in the amount of iron-laden dust blown in from the continents.  In theory, those bursts should have turbo-charged the growth of the ocean's carbon-capturing algae -- algae need iron to grow -- but a new study shows that the excess iron had little to no effect.

The results are important today, because as groups search for ways to combat climate change, some are exploring fertilizing the oceans with iron as a solution.

Read more at Curtailing Global Warming with Bioengineering?  Iron Fertilization Won't Work in Much of Pacific

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