Ocean iron fertilization. Source: Woods Hole
From the best laid plans of mice and men department.
In the late 1980’s, the late John Martin advanced the idea that carbon uptake during plankton photosynthesis in many regions of the world’s surface ocean was limited not by light or the major nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, but rather by a lack of the trace metal iron. Correlations between dust input to the ocean (which is the major source of iron) and past climate changes and CO2 levels, led Martin’s to exclaim “Give me half a tanker of iron and I’ll give you the next ice age”.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute wrote a paper about it Effects of Ocean Fertilization with Iron to Remove Carbon Dioxide from the Atmosphere Reported April 2004 News Release from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
From Slashdot and New Scientist:
Earlier this month, the controversial Indian-German Lohafex expedition fertilised 300 square kilometres of the Southern Atlantic with six tonnes of dissolved iron.
This triggered a bloom of phytoplankton, which doubled their biomass within two weeks by taking in carbon dioxide from the seawater. The dead phytoplankton were then expected to sink to the ocean bed, dragging carbon along with them. Instead, the experiment turned into an example o f how the food chain works, as the bloom was eaten by a swarm of hungry copepods.
While the experiment failed to show ocean fertilization as a viable carbon storage strategy, it has pushed the old “My dog ate my homework” excuse to an unprecedented level.
h/t to Dan Watts (no relation)
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Where does this shark range? Where does it mate? Where does it pup?
We know less about the oceans (and their inhabitants) than we do about the moon.
One thing is for certain is that the Chinese shark-fin industry WASTEFULLY harvests about 100 million of these creatures. THEY ARE SLOW TO REPRODUCE. DO THE MATH.
What kind of food does it prefer or is it a predatory scavenger?
Ask a Tiger and he doesn’t care what he eats….but some or more picky. Which one ot single out here??? They all have fins.
AND THAT is the demand that is throttling their rapid decline.
What do you know about the particular current temperature and layering of the water it lurks in? What oscillation is its range most tied to?
The simple (and logical) answer to that is the sharks will be where the food supply is.
The Gulf Stream meeting the Labrador Current is good fishing grounds….and thus good shark grounds. NOT rocket science.
Sorry for the repeat answers here. i thought my first reply in CAPS was lost becuase it did not register…so I started typing again.
Well anyway, Pamela….alot of good information for you to digest.
I have taken WAY more time than I should stating the obvious here. And it is late 3:15 in the AM EST and I have to go to work tomorrow.
If you do not get anything else from the content-filled and thoughtful posts….then watch Sharkwater.
If you are a teacher….you owe it to yourself….and then to your students.
One of the most eye-opening documentaries….ever
Don’t relegate it to a “movie.”
In so doing you are missing the point…and i KNOW you are smarter then that Pamela.
I have said so in other posts.
Thanks for your time.
CHRIS
“However, a reasonable mind can deduce that theoretically, based on studies of other fish, shark populations more than likely follow oceanic oscillations tied to the food web more closely than they do fishing practices over the long term.”
I am not in disagreement, Pamela, with this in principle, except for the fact that some pretty damn over-the-top and significant forcing has DIRECTLY caused the shark (and other fish and whale species) depletion.
And that forcing is from what cause? The A word, Pamela. As much as I hate to hear that word in terms of climate and Al Gore ad nauseum….the A-word hits the blankety-blank nail on the blanking head when it comes to overfishing.
WE…..(even if there are natural ebbs and flows which I am inclined to agree) have CAUSED the great marine life depletion we have before us…..stariung us in the blankety-blank face today!!
And yes if you sense some emotion you’d better damn believe it because this is a problem WE have caused and WE SHOULD FIX!!