What is ocean fertilization?
Ocean fertilization is characterized as a way to use to ocean as a carbon sink through the introduction of iron to the water, theoretically reducing the release of carbon into the atmosphere and therefore reducing global warming. This theory of iron fertilization has been around since the 1920’s and was made popular by John Martin of WHOI in the 1980’s. Martin proposed two hypotheses with the first being that high nutrient, low chlorophyll (HNLC) areas are that way due to inefficient amounts of iron concentrations. His second hypothesis was that if iron did direct the yield in high nutrient, low chlorophyll waters and also absorb organic carbon into the depths of the ocean through the use of the biological pump then this could explain the observations made through ice cores he had collected. The ice cores had shown that carbon had a direct relationship with the climatic changes of the planet. Martin proposed, using his hypotheses, that fertilizing the ocean with iron in these HNLC waters could export atmospheric carbon dioxide into the oceanic sediment and seize it for many years.
The Carbon Cycle in reference to the fertilization of the ocean can be simply explained by understanding that phytoplankton uses the carbon dioxide to grow. Carbon dioxide reaches the ocean surface and is photosynthesized by the phytoplankton which in turn grows into larger blooms. These blooms either expire and sink to the bottom or are eaten by zooplankton. The zooplankton respire an amount of carbon dioxide and also release carbon through their fecal pellets which then sink to the bottom. The addition of iron will cause an increase in phytoplankton blooms, such as diatoms, which use up carbon during photosynthesis. The ...
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"Ocean Pollution." MarineBio Conservation Society ~ Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Research... Web. 19 May 2014.
Carbon dioxide disturbs ecosystems candidly, both positively and negatively. On land it increases growth in various trees and plants, an influence occasionally called ‘CO2 fertilisation’. Absorption of CO2 into the oceans triggers ‘ocean acidification’, obstructing shell formation by organisms like corals and affecting coral deterioration or
The ocean has always absorbed CO2 from the air. An article presented in Nature August 2012 enlightens that about half of all CO2 generated by human is absorbed by the ocean. This chemical reaction is occurring naturally and the rate at which carbon is being absorbed, the concentration of carbonic acid is increasing. This has overwhelming concerns, particularly for shelled creatures. Animals such as corals, crabs, and calms need calcium carbonate to build their shells. Calcium Carbonate is dissolved by carbonic acid and consequently these animals are incapable of maintaining casings of calcium. Bio geosciences in 2010, suggested that carbon confiscation by oceans and land is lessening, which has the potential to further worsen the impact of carbon emissions.
...oceans. Anthropogenic systems such as the combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution have greatly increased the rate of acidification to levels where negative impacts ensue. Negative impacts occur both to marine organisms that rely on certain water conditions to maintain vital functions and the environment which is damaged by highly acidic waters. There is great variation in the acidity of each of the oceans, differences caused by the chemical composition of the ocean and biogeography. Understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification is relatively new to the scientific community and therefore little is known on how to counteract anthropogenic influences. Although reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced will in turn reduce the lowering of the oceans acidity levels and reduce negative impacts on the environment and marine organisms.
1. Life is more abundant in the North Atlantic than in the Pacific because the ocean area of the North Atlantic is directly in the path of iron-rich dust from the Sahara Desert, which leads to the development of bigger communities of phytoplankton, and in turn plankton, and so on. This fact is related to global warming because someone thought of an idea to fight global warming by putting huge amounts of iron solution into the ocean so that extreme plant growth would occur and these plants would remove enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to counter the negative effects of humans.
This subcategory focuses on studying ocean and atmosphere interaction, and in turn how it affects and shapes our world. One main reason it is important is , because it is essential to Earth’s climate and weather. The ocean is crucial to heating the planet along with causing changes in the weather. When ocean water evaporates, it makes the air warmer and humid, which in turn causes rain and storms. Along with this, ocean currents act as transport vessels for warm water. They distribute the warm water from the equator up and outward to the poles. This keeps the equator and other areas from having extreme
While it affects all environments, it has an extreme effect on coastal environments and estuarine environments since these environments rely heavily on chemical concentrations and pH balances. The pH balances have decreased majorly over the recent years since the industrial revolution because of increased partial pressure of carbon dioxide released into our environment and into the oceans. Because of this, ocean pH balance has now reached a record low for the past two million years. The high amount of carbon dioxide is increasing the levels of calcium carbonate, which is altering the performance of calcifiers and other marine organisms like the algal community. Lastly, the decreased pH balance in the seawater is causing high metal pollution, which also affects marine organisms(Ivanina & Sokolova, 2015). If ocean acidification is continually overlooked, then temperatures will continue to rise, and the lives of marine organisms and humans will continue to be
"What Will Happen in the Future If Ocean Pollution Isn't Reduced?" Funadvice. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.
The iron hypothesis, created by John Martin, states that if the ocean could be enriched with iron, more phytoplankton blooms could grow that would take the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and possibly reverse the greenhouse effect. Martin’s test demonstrated that when you germinate high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll zones in the ocean with iron, you increase the production of phytoplankton blooms, this information proves his hypothesis true. This will improve the earth by making the carbon dioxide return to its natural level in the atmosphere. From that, the ice caps would not melt and animals would not go extinct. If the ice caps do melt, then there would be a worldly flood and the salt water would infect the clean water that we need to live. John Martin’s hypothesis could save the livelihood of humans and animals.
Phytoplanktons are a very important part of ocean life. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is in balance with carbon dioxide in the ocean. During photosynthesis, phyto...
Scientists have also considered increasing the rate of photosynthesis in the ocean as a potential CDR method. Ocean iron fertilization is a method where powdered iron sulfate is dumped into the ocean to stimulate phytoplankton growth. Theoretically, more phytoplankton would mean more carbon taken out of the atmosphere. Phytoplanktons naturally remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they photosynthesize and sequester the CO2 when they die and sink to the bottom of the ocean. (Klusinske).
Toufexis Anastasia, Andrea Dorfman, Eugene Linden, and Edwin M. Reingold. "The Dirty Seas Threatened by Rising Pollution, the Oceans Are Sending out an SOS." Time 132.5 (1988): 1-8. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
The process of the carbon cycle can be evaluated or shown through various processes that transfer around a carbon; for example, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, etc.…. photosynthesis displays carbon in the atmosphere as the carbon dioxide gas enters the network of the consumers and producers by the energy in sunlight. CO2 and water is then absorbed through the producer’s pores in their leaves and converted into glucose and oxygen, which is a necessity in the reproduction and growth of the producer. Once the glucose is made, cellular respiration occurs and The Glucose then goes through glycolysis which splits the molecule into two pyruvate molecules. These two molecules go on to stage II of cellular respiration and use the energy that was used from splitting glucose into two molecules of ATP(energy). As glycolysis proceeds, energy is released, and the energy is used to increase the number of ATP(energy). Although we tend to only think of the carbon cycle as effecting above land, surprisingly oceans play a critical role in the cycle as well. Oceans act and create a large carbon sink that is mixed with the atmospheres. The carbon dioxide slowly dissolves into the water; and the oceans provide a huge reservoir of carbon. ‘Across the world's oceans there is a continual cycle of equilibration of dissolved carbon dioxide in water with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere “. Carbon dioxide occurs in three main forms – Carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and carbonate ions. As concentrations of carbon dioxide increase ,the carbonate ions become limited and oceans begin to uphold less co2 from the
Vannela, Raveender. "Are We “Digging Our Own Grave” Under the Oceans?" Environmental Science & Technology 46.15 (2012): 7932-933. Print.