Iron
fertilization has been proposed as a cheap, controllable, and environmentally
benign method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While this is in
fact the case in simple, 3-box models of the carbon cycle, more realistic
models show that these claims fall short of reality. The fact that the
efficiency of iron fertilization depends on the long term fate of the added
iron and on the carbon associated with it makes tracking the effects of iron
fertilization much more difficult and expensive than has been asserted.
Additionally, advection of low nutrient water away from iron-rich areas can
result in lowering production remotely, with potentially serious consequences.
Author: Anand Gnanadesikan, John P. Dunne and Irina Marinov (Anand dot Gnanadesikan at noaa dot gov)
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