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W
whoi.edu
research
https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/climate-weather/ocean-ba…
Iron fertilization is a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique that would artificially add iron to the ocean’s surface to stimulate growth of phytoplankton. When the plume of dust or ash settles over the ocean’s surface, it triggers massive blooms of phytoplankton that remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Iron fertilization is a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique that would mimic this natural system, artificially adding iron to the ocean’s surface to stimulate growth of phytoplankton. If relatively small amounts of iron can be added to the ocean’s surface to effectively remove large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, iron fertilization has the potential to play a pivotal role in reducing additional impacts associated with climate change. Until experiments are done to test these potential outcomes and determine how much carbon can be sequestered in the ocean depths, iron fertilization should not be put to use as a method of slowing climate change. ### Fertilizing the Ocean with Iron.
B
bigelow.org
news
https://www.bigelow.org/news/articles/2023-07-07.html
Large-scale ocean iron fertilization is one of several strategies that could help remove carbon dioxide, but new research published this week in Global Change Biology by a Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences researcher and colleagues shows that it might also negatively affect marine ecosystems in far corners of the ocean. The models did show that iron fertilization could remove up to 45 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the ocean surface between 2005 and 2100. Large-scale ocean iron fertilization is one of several strategies that could help remove carbon dioxide, but new research published this week in Global Change Biology by a Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences researcher and colleagues shows that it might also negatively affect marine ecosystems in far corners of the ocean. The models did show that iron fertilization could remove up to 45 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the ocean surface between 2005 and 2100.
S
sciencedirect.com
article
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S095758201200119X
▻ Fertilization using iron can increase the uptake of CO2 across the sea surface. ▻ But most of this uptake is transient; long-term sequestration is difficult
P
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
official
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37409536/
Ocean iron fertilization may amplify climate change pressures on marine animal biomass for limited climate benefit. Glob Chang Biol. 2023 Sep;29(18):5250
U
us-ocb.org
article
https://www.us-ocb.org/ocean-iron-fertilization-may-amplify-pressures-on-mari…
The study's findings suggested that OIF can contribute at most a few 10s of Pg of mCDR under a high-emissions climate change scenario.
C
congress.gov
official
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47172
Ocean fertilization adds nutrients, such as iron, to the surface of the ocean to enhance CO2 uptake by marine algae (phytoplankton) via
R
reddit.com
article
https://www.reddit.com/r/climatechange/comments/1qx1jsm/scientists_outline_ca…
The approach leverages a natural process: adding small amounts of iron to iron-poor ocean regions stimulates phytoplankton growth, which absorbs
G
gc.noaa.gov
official
https://www.gc.noaa.gov/documents/2010_climate_fert_rept_Congress_final.pdf
In order for ocean fertilization to lead to climate change mitigation, three criteria must be met: (a) ocean fertilization must lead to increased growth of phytoplankton, packaging carbon and nutrients together into organic material; (b) this organic material must be transferred into the deep ocean so that it does not simply get recycled near the surface releasing its carbon back to the atmosphere; and (c) this transfer of carbon from the surface ocean to the deep ocean must result in a compensating transfer of carbon from the atmosphere into the surface ocean.