Re: New study quashes hopes iron in ocean useful against global warming


Posted by Amaranth Rose on Mar 19, 2004 at 02:46
(65.172.150.7)

Re: New study quashes hopes iron in ocean useful against global warming (Jean Pierre)

Sometimes people can be very sort-sighted. I'd agree with you regarding the anoxia/hypoxia problem. When you are focused on the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it's easy to overlook the fact that other things will come as consequences. It's the Hammer/nail thing; when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.

I would imagine the benthic fauna has become used to having all these dead diatoms raining down on it for all these billions of years, though perhaps not in such great numbers as a project like this might produce. I'm sure there would be an initial upset to the equilibrium, but eventually they would respond to it and reach a new equilibrium, if they were not overwhelmed first.

My sentiments are with the environment, though; a carefully thought out environmental impact statement would have considered many of the questions you just raised before the project was undertaken. I question where they trained to become scientists; I was taught to think the thing through completely before starting. If iron is limiting, the logical question to ask is, if you provide abundant iron, what will become limiting next? Knowing these things are made of silicates, and knowing about how much by weight these things are respectively of iron and silica, it is a no brainer, IMHO, to see that the silica simply isn't sufficient given the available levels. But no, they've got to go out and try it without thinking it through.

If surgeons acted that way, they'd be operating on people first and taking X-rays afterward. Our environment is in their hands? I hope it's more resilient than we think!

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