Reduce CO2 With Phytoplankton Seeding

JediJeremy writes "Nature has this article on a team of scientists who want to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by increasing the amount of phytoplankton in the oceans. Phytoplankton thrive on iron, so the scientists are going to conduct a study to better grap the affect of an increase of iron in the water will be. They plan to dissolve an iron sulphate solution in a 150-200 square-kilometer patch of the Southern Ocean, near Antarctica to maximize the containment of the iron. The major flaw in the plan is it will only work if the phytoplankton die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking the CO2 with them, otherwise, the carbon will be reintroduced into the ecosystem. Interesting idea, but big design flaw."

Comments

To REALLY decrease the CO2...

[Ugmo]

...they should combine this 'seeding the ocean with iron' with eliminating SUV's.

This is how you do it: You build giant wood chippers with the ejection shoots aimed out over the ocean.

Then line up all the SUV's in the USA and make people drive them into the chippers.

The steel from the SUV's will shoot out and fertilize the plankton.

To be humane you can let the drivers jump out at the last minute. Unless they're too busy talking on their cell phones to jump.

Hey, I'm sure the plankton could do with elements other than iron for fertilizer. ;)