Ocean fertilization encompasses the use of the ocean as a tool for sinking carbon at the lower surface by way of putting iron into the water. This aspect is theoretically believed to decrease the emission of carbon into the atmosphere hence minimizing global warming (Williamson et al., 2012). Iron ocean fertilization is a significant issue that is being discussed across the world due to its impact on global warming. Thus, the availability of iron reduces the primary productivity and the level of carbon uptake over the broad area of the ocean. This depicts that iron plays a significant function in the process of the carbon cycle by changing its supply to the surface ocean hence influencing the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Nonetheless, Iron is crucial for the life of phytoplankton since it is critical for many procedures. Notably, low levels of phytoplankton would without a doubt limit the use of foods found in the ocean through photosynthesis hence the need to have an ample production of phytoplankton (Liss et al., 2005). As a consequence, Ocean Iron fertilization is used to foster the growth of phytoplankton that will utilize CO2 during the process of photosynthesis. Therefore, iron fertilization could afford a potential climate change mitigation approach by getting rid of the gases that promote warming atmosphere as well as increasing the cloud cover which aids the cooling of the atmosphere.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
It is essential to record that the oceans have absorbed nearly 30% of anthropogenic CO2 attributed by the solubility and biological pumps which transport carbon to the lower surface of the ocean hence reducing its concentration (Buesseler, & Boyd, 2003). The organic technique depends principally on the phytoplankton as depicted in this work. Consequently, some of the dissolved inorganic carbon is transmitted to fish by way of the food chain while other are used to develop biomass through the particulate organic carbon.
References
Buesseler, K. O., & Boyd, P. W. (2003). Will Ocean Fertilization Work? Science , 300 (5616), 67-68.
Liss, P., Chuck, A., Bakker, D., & Turner, S. (2005). Ocean fertilization with iron: effects on climate and air quality. Tellus: Series B , 57 (3), 269-271. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2005.00141.x
Williamson, P. et al., (2012). Ocean fertilization for geoengineering: A review of effectiveness, environmental impacts and emerging governance. Process Safety & Environmental Protection: Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers Part B , 90 (6), 475-488.
