THERE were concerns that a plan by the German government to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by dumping iron in the southern ocean would have all sorts of perverse outcomes.
Earlier in the year a spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund suggested the plan may violate international agreements on marine protection because the algae growth from the iron pollution would result in eutrophication, defined as a proliferation of plant life that reduces oxygen content in water and eliminates other sea life. Some no doubt had images of Blue whales turning belly-up from such a misguided intervention.
The plan was described as the biggest trial ever of iron fertilization, a technology which could stop global warming at very little cost.
[Read more…] about Six Tons of ‘Geoengineered’ Iron: Just another Drop in the Ocean
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.