Iron Fertilization and Climate Change

Iron Fertilization and Climate Change

Iron Fertilization is the process of adding iron to bodies of water such as oceans in order to increase the number of photosynthetic organisms in the ocean, primarily plankton. Plankton depend greatly not only on energy from the sun but also on iron and other nutrients from their environment. Hence, the iron deposited in the ocean results in an increase in these organisms. The increase of these autotrophs then directly affects the air through photosynthesis, lowering the levels of carbon dioxide in the air, and increasing the amounts of oxygen. Since carbon dioxide is one of the gases that contributes to the greenhouse effect, the lower levels of CO2 would reduce global warming. Although iron fertilization is a potential solution for stopping global warming, there are other effects of iron fertilization that play a role in affecting our environment. For this reason, I am undecided on the issue of whether iron fertilization should be used to address CO2  and climate change issues.

One of the problems with iron fertilization is that there are several other factors that play into its effects.

“The controversy comes that we don’t fully understand the consequences of manipulating our environment on a global scale, and we have to weigh up whether those consequences are better, or worse than the problem we are trying to fix.” (National Geographic, Iron Fertilization: Savior to Climate Change or Ocean Dumping?”)

For example, when the growth of plankton ends, the decay will use up more oxygen, potentially creating anoxic zones, which would kill habitats in the deep ocean. In addition, this “low-chlorophyll, high-nutrient” body of water would favor certain species over others. Ecosystems are also affected by the sinking of dead plankton, as shown in an experiment done by Dr. Ian Salter from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. It is more likely for the number of whales to increase rather than the amount of jellyfish. This brings us back to our limited knowledge of the effects of iron fertilization on underwater habitats.

It is possible that iron fertilization could successfully be utilized on a major scale to lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the air to slow global warming. The emissions of carbon dioxide in the air are probably not about to reduce anytime soon, so it may help. However, there are also other factors that play into it. The risks involved in this process, such as anoxic zones, and the potential changing of ecosystems may not be worth the risk. We are not completely aware of the consequences, which is why it would help to wait until we have more knowledge on this topic, and are able to judge the effects more accurately. I believe that we have found a simple and efficient way of decreasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air, but it is not thoroughly tested, which could lead to dangerous consequences. I am not decided on this issue, and I think that we need more time and experience until we can determine iron fertilization as a potential solution.

Works Cited

Wikipedia, 2016, “Iron Fertilization”

NASA, 2016, “Global Climate Change Vital Signs of the Planet, Changes”

National Geographic, 2012, “Iron Fertilization: Savior to Climate Change or Ocean Dumping?”

Phys.org, 2014, “Iron fertilization less efficient for deep-sea carbon dioxide storage than previously thought?”