2023-04-21 03:48:00
The high rates of carbon dioxide emissions are identified as the main factors responsible for climate change. Reducing the release of polluting gas into the atmosphere is considered an essential way to reduce the effect, however this alone may not be enough. According to some experts, it is necessary to remove carbon from the air, which can be done by throwing iron nanoparticles into the oceans.
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Phytoplankton and carbon absorption
Near the surface of the oceans live microscopic plants known as phytoplankton that absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce their own food, photosynthesis. About 25% of human CO2 emissions are absorbed by them and part of the carbon ends up at the bottom of the sea after they die and sink.
In addition to CO2 and sunlight, plants also need nutrients to survive, which does not change for phytoplankton. One of them is iron, scarce in some regions of the oceans and its increase can trigger the proliferation of these plants and consequently the absorption of carbon.
Some researchers have even managed to “fertilize” the ocean with iron, but although they noticed the increase in these animals, the amount of carbon deposited at the bottom of the sea was different from what was expected.
Just adding iron to the ocean has not been shown to be a good plan for storing atmospheric carbon. What counts is the carbon that reaches the seafloor, and much of the carbon tied up in plankton blooms doesn’t seem to sink very fast or very far.
Jim Bishop, researcher in response to Freethink
The reason for this to happen is not known, some researchers point out that it is because of other living beings that feed on phytoplankton and others because the iron ends up binding to marine organic compounds. Whatever the reason, the researchers haven’t given up on the possibility of turning the ocean into a carbon sink.
How iron is added to the sea
In November 2022, researchers from the University of Leeds and the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory pointed out that the way iron is deposited in the sea is what can change the results obtained.
Previously, the nutrient was added to the sea through iron sulfate, now the researchers suggest using iron nanoparticles that can be released into the ocean in different ways:
- One suggestion is that the particles be coated with polymers, which would make them float closer to the surface and make it easier for phytoplankton to absorb them;
- Another is the addition of something that increases the plant’s absorption of light, increasing photosynthesis and the amount of carbon absorbed;
- The researchers also suggested that something be tied to the nanoparticles to make them denser, a 1% increase in density would be enough to make phytoplankton sink faster.
Despite being a much more expensive method, it is also very effective in reducing carbon from the atmosphere. However, more research is still needed to determine how much the addition of iron nanoparticles can affect the ocean ecosystem, for now the alternative is to use more conventional methods, such as planting more trees and using chemical filters.
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