Ocean Plankton/CO2 Experiment Restarted

There is good news and bad news about a new initiative to make use of natural plankton to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by drawing it into the world’s oceans.

Scientists have been carrying out studies in the Southern Ocean, on how a natural algal bloom captures carbon dioxide.

The findings of the Crozex experiment, which have been published in the journal ‘Nature’, could contribute to the battle against climate change.

Now, scientists have restarted another, more controversial experiment, called the Lohafex study.

The experiment, being carried out in the Scotia Sea, east of Argentine, involves adding iron to blooms of plankton to make them stronger and capable of absorbing more harmful gases.

The scientists hope to prove that it is possible for plankton, with the assistance of “geo-engineering”, to help reduce the effects of global warming.

Plankton naturally soaks up carbon dioxide, pulling it out of the air and bringing it into the oceans.

As the plankton naturally died off they sink to the bottom of the sea, locking the carbon within their bodies.

The iron is added in order to enhance rapid growth of the plankton, to allow them to absorb more carbon dioxide.

The experiment was previously suspended after environmental groups campaigned strongly to the backers of the scheme, the German government, claiming that such experiments are completely against the rules of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, of which Germany is a signatory.

According to protestors, adding such large amounts of iron could cause considerable damage to the area’s eco-systems.

Environmentalists are also concerned about what could happen if the experiments actually proved to be successful.

This is because no one knows the consequences of huge amounts of these minute creatures sinking to the sea bed, containing massive amounts of carbon within their bodies.