The fight against climate change may be starting too late, and scientists worry that the time for changing our ways may have passed us by. Now, we'll just have to adjust to extreme weather changes and shortages in the near-future.
Even then, a few scientists have revived a decades-old idea to prevent climate change. Enter - phytoplankton! Scientists want to flood the world's oceans with more phytoplankton, the same organism responsible for creating over 50% of oxygen in our atmosphere from sunlight and carbon dioxide.
The rationale is quite simple - scientists hope to make phytoplankton bloom by adding iron to many parts of the ocean, especially those that are already low on iron. With more phytoplankton, more carbon dioxide would get absorbed by the oceans.
In a paper from 1980s, now found by The Daily Beast, oceanographer John Martin had written - "Give me half a tanker of iron, and I¡¯ll give you an ice age." The paper is from a time when scientists were just starting to learn about climate change.
Also read:?Human Pee Could Power Our Agriculture In A World Wrecked By Climate Change
Now, some scientists want to bring back the idea. In a report from 2021, scientists actually pitched the idea as one with lots of potential. "It takes up a third of the greenhouse gasses already. The question that people are now asking more is what can we do to enhance that?," said Ken Buesseler from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who worked on the recent report.
Also read:?Climate Change's Impact On Ocean Water Could Also Affect Mangrove Growth: Study
It would be a relatively cheap solution, for iron ore could be dropped into the water from ships. Experts believe that blooms could even be visible from space, blooming in less than 24 hours.
What do you think about this solution to limit climate change? Let us know in the comments below.?For?more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.
References
Benson, T. (2022, August 15). Artificially Inducing Phytoplankton Blooms Could Lower Carbon Dioxide Levels and Fight Climate Change. The Daily Beast.?
Tangermann, V. (2022b, August 15). Scientists May Be Able to Fight Global Warming by Supercharging Plankton. Futurism.?