solution to global warming?

Question

Sucking co2 out of the atmosphere?
i have been thinking recently about a story i heard a few years ago. a scientist in small rowing boat accidentally dropped a small beaker of iron solution of some sort in the water. within a very short space of time the entire ocean around him went thick with algae. he immediately thought, "oh no, i've destroyed the local environment i was here to study.". his second thought was, "wait a second, thats several thousand tons of co2 sucked out of the atmosphere.".

algae is an important part of the food pyramid and there is far too much co2 in the atmosphere. would it be feasable to send ships out to deep sea where iron levels are low and create large quantities of algae where lifeforms can feed on it boosting hopefully fish stocks and helping to offset the rising co2 levels.

i have also found out that algae can be harvested for its bio oil something like 50% of its mass.

can anyone give scientific answers to these ideas

These "dead zones" are caused by an excess of nitrogen from farm fertilizers, sewage and emissions from vehicles and factories. In what experts call a “nitrogen cascade,” the chemical flows untreated into oceans and triggers the proliferation of plankton, which in turn depletes oxygen in the water.

i understand your concerns but the photosynthesis of the algae would actually be oxygenating the water.

Answer 1

Less use of CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) in refrigeration n aerosols spray cans. Instead HCFC's (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) can be used.

Answer 2

I am no scientist, so I do not know if your solution is a good one. I think that a little extra algae would help, but not too much of it. Personally I would go for a more drastic approach, like grounding planes except for emergency purposes. All my ideas, and many of other peoples would help a great deal but would cause the finacial collapse of many countries. It is a bit like the global warming/dimming issue. To deal with one causes more problems with the other. Bad as it may seem, nature will take its course, possibly even causing a higher mortality rate in the long term future, but I guess that will also help restore a balance. I just wish the governments had done something more about this when they were warned twenty five years ago.
As long as everyone throughout the world tries something that works then there is hope, I don't hold out alot of hope with countries like America and Australia though.

Answer 3

Stop eco-ranting and answer the question! The iron solution the guy in the boat dropped into the water could have been ferrous sulphate which is used by water companies in the secondary treatment of sewage. It acts as a coagulant-clarifying the water before discharge. It would presumably act in the same way in open sea-coagulating algae and mineral sediments and making them more visible -though no more abundant. Would that algae could be grown so rapidly. Good hypothesis-sorry to burst your bubble.(if I am right)

Answer 4

Sorry I am not a scientist, but I did see something on Discovery channel about algae and its links to c02. But introducing algae to area where it does not normally grow, would this not encroach on the habitat of the local sea life who might not be able to survive in a algae environment, but we do have a lot of land locked water which could be used to harvest the algae for co2 and bio oil.

It does sound like a great idea, but I feel this country is trying to carry the rest of the poluting world on our shoulders.

Answer 5

Along the years, scientists tryed to do workarounds about 'critical' situations and several within complex envinronments went into a badly way....

I'll answer in 3 steps.
1St why not do it
2nd Some aditional factors
3rd Questions about viability of your plan (in case of you are considering not valid enough my 1st answer)

('80s)Central Africa: Stop desertification. They used a plant with long roots and good resistance; Today this plant is spreading as a plage, concurring with another plants; Many of local animal life is dying due some particular characteristics.

('60s)India: Increase production using pesticides. put and end into poverty; Ecological disaster.15 years after, they went back to ancestral ways to try to get back

.... there is a lot of examples where scientists without understand complex environments propose solutions and everything went worst. (Parrots in south america, some predators and plants in Australia, Anphibians deadly parasits)



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Fishing industry are doing part of your plan. They are killing pretadors of algaes and fitoplancton. Probably you read about it. Deplete commercial fishing stocks in next 50 years.

Everything has a balance, small portions of each single living been are necessary to the equilibrium.

Example: Algae will ocupe ocean surface and it will avoid oxigenation within water, killing a lot of fishes.

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Today, Global Warming is happening due other factors like Methan (100 years to scape from our atmosphere) being released from Tundra in siberia.
Black Sea, Caspian Sean, Rivers around world are being consumed by irrigation and evene bigger cities; It is increasing salinity in some areas ... and less water within envinronment, badly to the weather.

Last question about your Idea:
How many square meters will be necessary to decrease CO² in our atmosphere, considering actual CO² prodution?
Add into your formula CO² increase wihtin last 10 year and you can do hardly projection about How square meters should increase your O² farm each year.

Answer 6

unfortunately too much algae can kill the natural environment. look up the damage done to the chesapeake bay in maryland, US. buildup of algae has blocked the sunlight getting into the water, therefore killing off natural species that live there. too much buildup can cause "dead zones" in the ocean. There are yearly dead zones that pop up in the pacific and in the gulf of mexico. i'm sure there are other examples as well.

Answer 7

To the person who thinks that electric cars are the answer to our problems I don't think you've thought of the bigger picture. Yes the car itself would have reduced emissions BUT the electricity needs to be produced somehow and the car needs to be made BOTH of which involve oil and increasing emissions from these sectors.

Answer 8

The Kyoto Protocol

Answer 9

scientific answers???

in scientific answers global warming by CO2 is not possible. the level of CO2 is only 0.15 percent higher than it was 5 years ago.

Answer 10

Make the Americans sign up tp kyoto...