An oceanic phytoplankton bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Argentina covering an area about 300 by 50 miles (500 by 80 km)
Iron fertilization is the intentional introduction of iron to iron-poor areas of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production. This is intended to enhance biological productivity and/or accelerate carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration from the atmosphere.
Iron is a trace element necessary for photosynthesis in plants. It is highly insoluble in sea water and in a variety of locations is the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth. Large algal blooms can be created by supplying iron to iron-deficient ocean waters. These blooms can nourish other organisms.
Multiple ocean labs, scientists and businesses have explored
fertilization. Beginning in 1993, thirteen research teams completed
ocean trials demonstrating that phytoplankton blooms can be stimulated
by iron augmentation. Controversy remains over the effectiveness of atmospheric CO
2 sequestration and ecological effects. The most recent open ocean trials of ocean iron fertilization were in 2009 (January to March) in the South Atlantic by project Lohafex, and in July 2012 in the North Pacific off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation (HSRC).
2 sequestration and ecological effects. The most recent open ocean trials of ocean iron fertilization were in 2009 (January to March) in the South Atlantic by project Lohafex, and in July 2012 in the North Pacific off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation (HSRC).
Fertilization occurs naturally when upwellings bring nutrient-rich water to the surface, as occurs when ocean currents meet an ocean bank or a sea mount. This form of fertilization produces the world's largest marine habitats. Fertilization can also occur when weather carries wind blown dust long distances over the ocean, or iron-rich minerals are carried into the ocean by glaciers, rivers and icebergs.
History
Consideration of iron's importance to phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis dates to the 1930s when English biologist
Joseph Hart speculated that the ocean's great "desolate zones" (areas
apparently rich in nutrients, but lacking in plankton activity or other
sea life) might be iron-deficient. Little scientific discussion was recorded until the 1980s, when oceanographer John Martin
renewed controversy on the topic with his marine water nutrient
analyses. His studies supported Hart's hypothesis. These "desolate"
regions came to be called "High Nutrient, Low Chlorophyll" (HNLC) zones.
John Gribbin was the first scientist to publicly suggest that climate change could be reduced by adding large amounts of soluble iron to the oceans. Martin's 1988 quip four months later at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, "Give me a half a tanker of iron and I will give you another ice age", drove a decade of research.
The findings suggested that iron deficiency was limiting ocean
productivity and offered an approach to mitigating climate change as
well. Perhaps the most dramatic support for Martin's hypothesis came
with the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. Environmental scientist Andrew Watson analyzed global data from that eruption and calculated that it deposited approximately 40,000 tons of iron dust into oceans worldwide. This single fertilization event preceded an easily observed global decline in atmospheric CO
2 and a parallel pulsed increase in oxygen levels.
2 and a parallel pulsed increase in oxygen levels.
The parties to the London Dumping Convention
adopted a non-binding resolution in 2008 on fertilization (labeled
LC-LP.1(2008)). The resolution states that ocean fertilization
activities, other than legitimate scientific research, "should be
considered as contrary to the aims of the Convention and Protocol and do
not currently qualify for any exemption from the definition of
dumping".
An Assessment Framework for Scientific Research Involving Ocean
Fertilization, regulating the dumping of wastes at sea (labeled
LC-LP.2(2010)) was adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Convention
in October 2010 (LC 32/LP 5).
Experiments
Martin hypothesized that increasing phytoplankton photosynthesis could slow or even reverse global warming by sequestering CO
2 in the sea. He died shortly thereafter during preparations for Ironex I, a proof of concept research voyage, which was successfully carried out near the Galapagos Islands in 1993 by his colleagues at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Thereafter 12 international ocean studies examined the phenomenon:
2 in the sea. He died shortly thereafter during preparations for Ironex I, a proof of concept research voyage, which was successfully carried out near the Galapagos Islands in 1993 by his colleagues at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Thereafter 12 international ocean studies examined the phenomenon:
- Ironex II, 1995
- SOIREE (Southern Ocean Iron Release Experiment), 1999
- EisenEx (Iron Experiment), 2000
- SEEDS (Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study), 2001
- SOFeX (Southern Ocean Iron Experiments - North & South), 2002
- SERIES (Subarctic Ecosystem Response to Iron Enrichment Study), 2002
- SEEDS-II, 2004
- EIFEX (European Iron Fertilization Experiment), A successful experiment conducted in 2004 in a mesoscale ocean eddy in the South Atlantic resulted in a bloom of diatoms, a large portion of which died and sank to the ocean floor when fertilization ended. In contrast to the LOHAFEX experiment, also conducted in a mesoscale eddy, the ocean in the selected area contained enough dissolved silicon for the diatoms to flourish.
- CROZEX (CROZet natural iron bloom and Export experiment), 2005.
- A pilot project planned by Planktos, a U.S. company, was cancelled in 2008 for lack of funding.[26] The company blamed environmental organizations for the failure.
- LOHAFEX (Indian and German Iron Fertilization Experiment), 2009. Despite widespread opposition to LOHAFEX, on 26 January 2009 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) gave clearance for this fertilization experiment to commence. The experiment was carried out in waters low in silicic acid which was likely to affect sequestration efficacy. A 900 square kilometers (350 sq mi) portion of the southwest Atlantic was fertilized with iron sulfate. A large phytoplankton bloom was triggered. This bloom did not contain diatoms because the site was depleted in silicic acid, an essential nutrient for diatom growth. In the absence of diatoms, a relatively small amount of carbon was sequestered, because other phytoplankton are vulnerable to predation by zooplankton and do not sink rapidly upon death. These poor sequestration results led to suggestions that fertilization is not an effective carbon mitigation strategy in general. However, prior ocean fertilization experiments in high silica locations revealed much higher carbon sequestration rates because of diatom growth. LOHAFEX confirmed sequestration potential depends strongly upon appropriate siting.
- Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation (HSRC), 2012 - funded by the Old Massett Haida band and managed by Russ George - dumped 100 tonnes of iron sulphate into the Pacific into an eddy 200 nautical miles west of the islands of Haida Gwaii. This resulted in increased algae growth over 10,000 square miles. Critics alleged George's actions violated the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the London convention on the dumping of wastes at sea which prohibited such geoengineering experiments. On 15 July 2014, the resulting scientific data was made available to the public.
Science
The
maximum possible result from iron fertilization, assuming the most
favourable conditions and disregarding practical considerations, is
0.29W/m2 of globally averaged negative forcing, offsetting 1/6 of current levels of anthropogenic CO
2 emissions. These benefits have been called into question by research suggesting that fertilization with iron may deplete other essential nutrients in the seawater causing reduced phytoplankton growth elsewhere — in other words, that iron concentrations limit growth more locally than they do on a global scale.
2 emissions. These benefits have been called into question by research suggesting that fertilization with iron may deplete other essential nutrients in the seawater causing reduced phytoplankton growth elsewhere — in other words, that iron concentrations limit growth more locally than they do on a global scale.
Role of iron
About 70% of the world's surface is covered in oceans. The part of these where light can penetrate is inhabited by algae
(and other marine life). In some oceans, algae growth and reproduction
is limited by the amount of iron. Iron is a vital micronutrient for
phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis that has historically been delivered to the pelagic sea by dust storms from arid lands. This Aeolian dust contains 3–5% iron and its deposition has fallen nearly 25% in recent decades.
The Redfield ratio
describes the relative atomic concentrations of critical nutrients in
plankton biomass and is conventionally written "106 C: 16 N: 1 P." This
expresses the fact that one atom of phosphorus and 16 of nitrogen are required to "fix" 106 carbon atoms (or 106 molecules of CO
2). Research expanded this constant to "106 C: 16 N: 1 P: .001 Fe" signifying that in iron deficient conditions each atom of iron can fix 106,000 atoms of carbon, or on a mass basis, each kilogram of iron can fix 83,000 kg of carbon dioxide. The 2004 EIFEX experiment reported a carbon dioxide to iron export ratio of nearly 3000 to 1. The atomic ratio would be approximately: "3000 C: 58,000 N: 3,600 P: 1 Fe".
2). Research expanded this constant to "106 C: 16 N: 1 P: .001 Fe" signifying that in iron deficient conditions each atom of iron can fix 106,000 atoms of carbon, or on a mass basis, each kilogram of iron can fix 83,000 kg of carbon dioxide. The 2004 EIFEX experiment reported a carbon dioxide to iron export ratio of nearly 3000 to 1. The atomic ratio would be approximately: "3000 C: 58,000 N: 3,600 P: 1 Fe".
Therefore, small amounts of iron (measured by mass parts per trillion) in HNLC
zones can trigger large phytoplankton blooms on the order of 100,000
kilograms of plankton per kilogram of iron . The size of the iron
particles is critical. Particles of 0.5–1 micrometer or less seem to be
ideal both in terms of sink rate and bioavailability. Particles this
small are easier for cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton to incorporate and the churning of surface waters keeps them in the euphotic or sunlit biologically active depths without sinking for long periods.
Atmospheric deposition is an important iron source. Satellite images and data (such as PODLER, MODIS, MSIR)
combined with back-trajectory analyses identified natural sources of
iron–containing dust. Iron-bearing dusts erode from soil and are
transported by wind. Although most dust sources are situated in the
Northern Hemisphere, the largest dust sources are located in northern
and southern Africa, North America, central Asia and Australia.
Heterogeneous chemical reactions in the atmosphere modify the
speciation of iron in dust and may affect the bioavailability of
deposited iron. The soluble form of iron is much higher in aerosols than in soil (~0.5%). Several photo-chemical interactions with dissolved organic acids increase iron solubility in aerosols. Among these, photochemical reduction of oxalate-bound Fe(III) from iron-containing minerals is important. The organic ligand forms a surface complex with the Fe (III) metal center of an iron-containing mineral (such as hematite or goethite).
On exposure to solar radiation the complex is converted to an excited
energy state in which the ligand, acting as bridge and an electron donor, supplies an electron to Fe(III) producing soluble Fe(II).
Consistent with this, studies documented a distinct diel variation in
the concentrations of Fe (II) and Fe(III) in which daytime Fe(II)
concentrations exceed those of Fe(III).
Volcanic ash as an iron source
Volcanic ash has a significant role in supplying the world’s oceans with iron.
Volcanic ash is composed of glass shards, pyrogenic minerals, lithic
particles and other forms of ash that release nutrients at different
rates depending on structure and the type of reaction caused by contact
with water.
Increases of biogenic opal in the sediment record are associated with increased iron accumulation over the last million years. In August 2008, an eruption in the Aleutian Islands
deposited ash in the nutrient-limited Northeast Pacific. This ash and
iron deposition resulted in one of the largest phytoplankton blooms
observed in the subarctic.
Carbon sequestration
Air-sea exchange of CO
2
2
Previous instances of biological carbon sequestration triggered major
climatic changes, lowering the temperature of the planet, such as the Azolla event. Plankton that generate calcium or silicon carbonate skeletons, such as diatoms, coccolithophores and foraminifera,
account for most direct sequestration. When these organisms die their
carbonate skeletons sink relatively quickly and form a major component
of the carbon-rich deep sea precipitation known as marine snow.
Marine snow also includes fish fecal pellets and other organic
detritus, and steadily falls thousands of meters below active plankton
blooms.
Of the carbon-rich biomass generated by plankton blooms, half (or more) is generally consumed by grazing organisms (zooplankton, krill, small fish, etc.) but 20 to 30% sinks below 200 meters (660 ft) into the colder water strata below the thermocline.
Much of this fixed carbon continues into the abyss, but a substantial
percentage is redissolved and remineralized. At this depth, however,
this carbon is now suspended in deep currents and effectively isolated
from the atmosphere for centuries. (The surface to benthic cycling time for the ocean is approximately 4,000 years.)
Analysis and quantification
Evaluation
of the biological effects and verification of the amount of carbon
actually sequestered by any particular bloom involves a variety of
measurements, combining ship-borne and remote sampling, submarine
filtration traps, tracking buoy spectroscopy and satellite telemetry. Unpredictable ocean currents can remove experimental iron patches from the pelagic zone, invalidating the experiment.
The potential of fertilization to tackle global warming is illustrated by the following figures. If phytoplankton converted all the nitrate and phosphate present in the surface mixed layer across the entire Antarctic circumpolar current into organic carbon, the resulting carbon dioxide deficit could be compensated by uptake from the atmosphere amounting to about 0.8 to 1.4 gigatonnes of carbon per year. This quantity is comparable in magnitude to annual anthropogenic fossil fuels combustion of approximately 6 gigatonnes. The Antarctic circumpolar current region is one of several in which iron fertilization could be conducted—the Galapagos islands area another potentially suitable location.
Dimethyl sulfide and clouds
Schematic diagram of the CLAW hypothesis (Charlson et al., 1987)
Some species of plankton produce dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a portion of which enters the atmosphere where it is oxidized by hydroxyl radicals (OH), atomic chlorine (Cl) and bromine monoxide (BrO) to form sulfate particles, and potentially increase cloud cover. This may increase the albedo of the planet and so cause cooling—this proposed mechanism is central to the CLAW hypothesis. This is one of the examples used by James Lovelock to illustrate his Gaia hypothesis.
During SOFeX, DMS concentrations increased by a factor of four
inside the fertilized patch. Widescale iron fertilization of the
Southern Ocean could lead to significant sulfur-triggered cooling in
addition to that due to the CO
2 uptake and that due to the ocean's albedo increase, however the amount of cooling by this particular effect is very uncertain.
2 uptake and that due to the ocean's albedo increase, however the amount of cooling by this particular effect is very uncertain.
Financial opportunities
Beginning with the Kyoto Protocol, several countries and the European Union established carbon offset markets which trade certified emission reduction credits (CERs) and other types of carbon credit instruments. In 2007 CERs sold for approximately €15–20/ton COe
2. Iron fertilization is relatively inexpensive compared to scrubbing, direct injection and other industrial approaches, and can theoretically sequester for less than €5/ton CO
2, creating a substantial return. In August, 2010, Russia established a minimum price of €10/ton for offsets to reduce uncertainty for offset providers. Scientists have reported a 6–12% decline in global plankton production since 1980. A full-scale plankton restoration program could regenerate approximately 3–5 billion tons of sequestration capacity worth €50-100 billion in carbon offset value. However, a 2013 study indicates the cost versus benefits of iron fertilization puts it behind carbon capture and storage and carbon taxes.
2. Iron fertilization is relatively inexpensive compared to scrubbing, direct injection and other industrial approaches, and can theoretically sequester for less than €5/ton CO
2, creating a substantial return. In August, 2010, Russia established a minimum price of €10/ton for offsets to reduce uncertainty for offset providers. Scientists have reported a 6–12% decline in global plankton production since 1980. A full-scale plankton restoration program could regenerate approximately 3–5 billion tons of sequestration capacity worth €50-100 billion in carbon offset value. However, a 2013 study indicates the cost versus benefits of iron fertilization puts it behind carbon capture and storage and carbon taxes.
Ocean privatization could additionally create the possibility of profits through increased fish stocks.
Sequestration definitions
Carbon
is not considered "sequestered" unless it settles to the ocean floor
where it may remain for millions of years. Most of the carbon that sinks
beneath plankton blooms is dissolved and remineralized well above the
seafloor and eventually (days to centuries) returns to the atmosphere,
negating the original benefit.
Advocates argue that modern climate scientists and Kyoto Protocol policy makers define sequestration over much shorter time frames. For example, trees and grasslands are viewed as important carbon sinks. Forest biomass sequesters carbon for decades, but carbon that sinks below the marine thermocline
(100–200 meters) is removed from the atmosphere for hundreds of years,
whether it is remineralized or not. Since deep ocean currents take so
long to resurface, their carbon content is effectively sequestered by
the criterion in use today.
Debate
While ocean iron fertilization could represent a potent means to slow
global warming current debate raises a variety of concerns.
Precautionary principle
The precautionary principle (PP) states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm, in the absence of scientific consensus, the burden of proof
that it is not harmful falls on those who would take the action. The
side effects of large-scale iron fertilization are not yet quantified.
Creating phytoplankton blooms in iron-poor areas is like watering the
desert: in effect it changes one type of ecosystem into another. The
argument can be applied in reverse, by considering emissions to be the
action and remediation an attempt to partially offset the damage.
Fertilization advocates respond that algal blooms have occurred naturally for millions of years with no observed ill effects. The Azolla event occurred around 49 million years ago and accomplished what fertilization is intended to achieve (but on a larger scale).
20th-century phytoplankton decline
While
advocates argue that iron addition would help to reverse a supposed
decline in phytoplankton, this decline may not be real. One study
reported a decline in ocean productivity comparing the 1979–1986 and
1997–2000 periods, but two others found increases in phytoplankton.
A 2010 study of oceanic transparency since 1899 and in situ chlorophyll
measurements concluded that oceanic phytoplankton medians decreased by
~1% per year over that century.
Ecological issues
Algal blooms
A "red tide" off the coast of La Jolla, San Diego, California.
Critics are concerned that fertilization will create harmful algal blooms
(HAB). The species that respond most strongly to fertilization vary by
location and other factors and could possibly include species that cause
red tides
and other toxic phenomena. These factors affect only near-shore waters,
although they show that increased phytoplankton populations are not
universally benign.
Most species of phytoplankton are harmless or beneficial, given
that they constitute the base of the marine food chain. Fertilization
increases phytoplankton only in the open oceans (far from shore) where
iron deficiency is substantial. Most coastal waters are replete with
iron and adding more has no useful effect.
A 2010 study of iron fertilization in an oceanic high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll environment, however, found that fertilized Pseudo-nitzschia diatom spp., which are generally nontoxic in the open ocean, began producing toxic levels of domoic acid. Even short-lived blooms containing such toxins could have detrimental effects on marine food webs.
Deep water oxygen levels
When organic bloom detritus sinks into the abyss, a significant fraction is devoured by bacteria,
other microorganisms and deep sea animals that also consume oxygen. A
large enough bloom could render certain regions beneath it anoxic and threaten other benthic
species. However this would entail the removal of oxygen from thousands
of cubic km of benthic water beneath a bloom and so seems unlikely.
The largest plankton replenishment projects under consideration
are less than 10% the size of most natural wind-fed blooms. In the wake
of major dust storms, natural blooms have been studied since the
beginning of the 20th century and no such deep water dieoffs have been
reported.
Ecosystem effects
Depending
upon the composition and timing of delivery, iron infusions could
preferentially favor certain species and alter surface ecosystems to
unknown effect. Population explosions of jellyfish, that disturb the food chain impacting whale
populations or fisheries is unlikely as iron fertilization experiments
that are conducted in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll waters favor the
growth of larger diatoms over small flagellates. This has been shown to
lead to increased abundance of fish and whales over jellyfish. A 2010 study showed that iron enrichment stimulates toxic diatom production in high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll areas which, the authors argue, raises "serious concerns over the net benefit
and sustainability of large-scale iron fertilizations". Nitrogen
released by cetaceans and iron chelate are a significant benefit to the marine food chain in addition to sequestering carbon for long periods of time.
However, CO
2-induced surface water heating and rising carbonic acidity are shifting population distributions for phytoplankton, zooplankton and many other populations. Optimal fertilization could potentially help restore lost/threatened ecosystem services.
2-induced surface water heating and rising carbonic acidity are shifting population distributions for phytoplankton, zooplankton and many other populations. Optimal fertilization could potentially help restore lost/threatened ecosystem services.
Ocean Acidification
A 2009 study tested the potential of iron fertilization to reduce both atmospheric CO2
and ocean acidity using a global ocean carbon model. The study showed
that an optimized regime of micronutrient introduction would reduce the
predicted increase of atmospheric CO2 by more than 20 percent. Unfortunately, the impact on ocean acidification would be minimal due to the higher proportions of carbon dioxide taken into the oceans.
