Concerns About Iron Fertilization
As you might suspect, addingiron to the oceans could do more than just reduce carbon dioxide levels. Changing the structure of the food web by infusing the ocean with iron and promoting phytoplankton growth could drastically change the concentrations of other gases in both the air and the sea, potentially negating any positive effects of reduced carbon dioxide levels [source: Liss]. For example, some computer models predict that adding iron could increase levels of nitrous oxide and methane, two greenhouse gases [source: Haiken]. Scientist Mark Lawrence also points out that blooms of phytoplankton produce chemicals called methyl halides, which erode the
Photo courtesy NASA
The two cloudy green masses in the center of this satellite photo are large patches of phytoplankton.
Scientists also don't know how long any carbon dioxide that is captured by the phytoplankton would be stored. While the ocean has the ability to stockpile millions of tons of the gas for a century or more, there's a catch: It must sink below the surface if it stays in solid form. But it doesn't necessarily do that.
The carbon dioxide is just as likely to be carried right back up to the surface by ocean currents and released back into the atmosphere. Most of the carbon dioxide never even reaches the ocean floor. As much as 95 percent of it stays in circulation because it is continuously recycled through the food chain [Wright]. Plankton process it and are then eaten by other organisms, which simply exhale the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, so it never drops out of circulation [source: Haiken].
Many environmental organizations are also against ocean seeding. When the company Planktos announced plans to sprinkle 100 tons of iron sulfate off the coast of the Galapagos Islands, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and others fought back. One group even threatened to intercept the company's ship. Planktos ended up canceling its plans due to limited funding and inadequate gear, but the environmental groups remain on guard. On its Web site, the World Wildlife Fund warns of the following potential ill effects the method could incite:
- Phytoplankton blooms will release large amounts of gases, as will the bacteria they leave behind when they die.
- The bacterial decay that results when the plankton die will reduce
levels in the water, possibly leading to the increase of gases like nitrous oxide. - Unless the iron is very pure, it is likely to be accompanied by other potentially toxic trace metals.
Iron fertilization raises a lot of interesting questions. The relationship between the carbon dioxide cycle and marine processes is complex, and so far science isn't clear on the long-term effects of altering it. Is iron fertilization a global warming panacea or a Pandora's box? Only time will tell, but scientists are sure to keep searching for answers
