Save the Phytoplankton, save the world
May 10th, 2007 by Eric
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of trees and their role in the in reducing the greenhouse gasses that lead to global warming. A Google search for “global warming” and “trees” gets over five million hits.
But in case you have been living in Iceland (where trees are in short supply), here’s what they do. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), the greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming, and through a process called photosynthesis, turn that carbon dioxide into back into oxygen. This is why there is less CO2 in the atmosphere during the summer when the leaves are out in the northern hemisphere, than during the winter when the trees are bare and other plants are dormant. As Al Gore says in An Inconvenient Truth, “It’s as if the entire Earth, once each year, breathes in and out.”
But three quarters of the planet is covered by water. What if we could increase the plant life in the “Big Blue,” to plant trees in the ocean, if you will. According to the New York Times:
In an effort to ameliorate the effects of global warming, several groups are working on ventures to grow vast floating fields of plankton intended to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and carry it to the depths of the ocean.
Phytoplankton, like trees, use photosynthesis to produce energy. It is found at the surface due to the higher levels of CO2, but is also limited to the availability of iron in the ocean. There are, however, large parts of the ocean’s surface that are inexplicably devoid of iron. That’s where the research vessel, WeatherBird II, takes over.
The ship plans to dissolve tons of iron, an essential plankton nutrient, over a 10,000-square-kilometer patch. When the trace iron prompts growth and reproduction of the tiny organism, scientists plan to measure how much carbon dioxide the plankton ingests.
There is still a lot of skepticism as to whether or not this will have a positive long-term effect on CO2 levels in the atmosphere, as well as any unforeseeable negative side effects. But the discussion has started and the wheels are turning. And the idea of turning to one of the world’s smallest organisms to solve its biggest problem, well, it’s a rather serendipitous cinher for our cause. Isn’t that what we’re all about?
Share This
Add this to your favorites