Please watch the Planet's Forests, Inhale and Exhale, with the Seasons ...
Observing Plant Life Health From Space
http://www.youtube.com/...
Now, watch Earth's "Ocean Forests", Breathe in and out, as well ...
Observing The Biosphere From Space
http://www.youtube.com/...
Many environmental factors, impact the the health of these pint-sized green forests of the Sea, including winds, temperature, ocean upwellings. Indeed Planktons often "bloom" based on the availability of Nutrients, like fertilizer runoff, and even desert dust storms, which blow over, and fall into the sea.
The green areas in this next clip, show the Plankton Blooms that routinely take in Carbon Dioxide, and put back Oxygen. The cycle that the Web of Life very much depends on.
Global Plankton Blooms
http://www.youtube.com/...
Strong winds help ocean waves to exchange gases, like Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen. Winds can induce water mixing too, helping to drive the Ocean's natural Nutrient upwellings [vertical currents]. Well see later, such upwelling are the equivalent to the Nature's "Miracle-Gro" ...
Observing Sea Surface Winds From Space
http://www.youtube.com/...
The Oceans naturally trap huge Quantities of Carbon Dioxide. But rising Ocean Temperatures, are starting to restrict how much CO2 the Ocean can hold. Warm Waters can hold LESS Carbon Dioxide.
Rising Ocean Temperatures also help to cause Water stratification zones (low mixing areas). This can cut off the Plankton's natural nutrient source: the deep water Upwellings.
NASA | Taking Earth's Temperature
NASAexplorer
http://www.youtube.com/...
A consistent trend of warming is visible in both the globlal temperature data and the global climate model.
James Hansen: We have a pretty good understanding now how sensitive the climate is to the increases in the greenhouse gases. This comes particularly from the history of the Earth.
But what about that PhytoPlankton Forest, and its role in the Web of Life on Planet Earth? How exactly, does PhytoPlankton play its key role in the Earth's ancient Carbon Cycle? How does it act as a kind of a built-in Climate Change Regulator too, governing how fast the Earth can warm up, when CO2 levels start to rise unexpectedly:
NASA | Earth Science Week: Keeping Up With Carbon
NASAexplorer
http://www.youtube.com/...
The Ocean holds huge amount of Carbon, about 50 times the amount we find in the Atmosphere.
Stacey Bolland [NASA Senior Systems Engineer] "The Ocean's sometimes called a 'Carbon sink' meaning that it absorbs or takes up Carbon from the Atmosphere. It takes up Carbon through physical and biological processes."
[...]
At the ocean's surface, CO2 from Atmosphere dissolves into the water. Tiny marine plants called Phytoplankton use this CO2 for photosynthesis. Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web.
After animals eat the plants, they breathe out the carbon or pass it up the food chain.
Sometimes Phytoplankton die, decompose, and are recycled in the surface waters. Phytoplankton can also sink to the ocean floor, carrying Carbon as they descend. Over long timescales, this process has made the ocean floor the largest reservoir of Carbon on the planet.
[...]
By cycling huge amounts of Carbon the ocean helps regulate climate. [... Oceans] are even controlling how much Carbon is in the Atmosphere, which can slow down how quickly climate change is occurring.
[...]
About 1/3 of all human generated Carbon emission has dissolved in the ocean.
More than 80% of the Earth's added heat is now stored in the ocean.
OK then. "Dissolved CO2", or otherwise "sunk" or "trapped" Carbon Dioxide gas in the Ocean, keeps huge amounts of CO2, OUT of the Skies. Cool ... (long as the Ocean, can keep performing its Biospheric functions ... long as a Warming Ocean doesn't short circuit the entire capture and storage process, first.)
Phytoplankton produce a HUGE amount Oxygen too. You know, the stuff that us, warm and fuzzy animals kind of find convenient to have around:
Marine Phytoplankton -- Mother Natures Milk [Blooms]
Professor Iain Stewart
http://www.youtube.com/...
Iain Stewart: Although Phytoplankton are no bigger that a pin head, they are one of the most important forms of life on Earth.
[...]
Without Phytoplankton in the Oceans there wouldn't be any fish or turtles swimming around -- Phytoplankton are the first meal in the Ocean Food Chain.
[...] they Photosynthesize. They turn CO2 and Sunlight into Energy in order to live.
PhytoPlankton produce something like 50% of all the Oxygen on Earth -- about as much as the world's Forests and Jungles combined.
Cool! Phytoplankton take care of the "Breath out" part of the Biosphere equation. AND they consume CO2 in the process too ... Interesting. Plankton Blooms truly are the bonsai Forests of the Sea.
Here's some more specifics on that key "Carbon Cycle", PhytoPlankton are a big part of.
NASA | Earth Science Week: The Ocean's Green Machines
http://www.youtube.com/...
The blooms of Phytoplankton also take CO2 out the surface waters, making the Ocean an important Carbon sink.
[...]
Their Nutrients come from many places. Cold waters carry essential nutrients from the Ocean's low depths to the hungry surface plants.
[...]
Phytoplankton respond rapidly to environmental changes. In the past decade, researchers have observed that global levels of Phytoplankton tend to decrease as the ocean temperatures warm.
Gene Feldman: [NASA Oceanographer] [...] Anything that happens that slows down that movement of cold, deep water to the surface, would stop the flow of nutrients, which would cause the Phytoplankton not to grow as well.
Gene Feldman: And what's happening over the past ten years that we've been observing the oceans, in large areas of the ocean, they've warmed up [see map]. And what that means is the surface water has warmed, and it has essentially put a cap on that mixing process.
Indeed the declining phytoplankton production is reaching 30% in some places. THAT can't be good:
seakeepers.org
In some areas of the ocean, there has been a 30 percent decrease in phytoplankton production between 1999 and 2004 alone. These small algae convert or sequester a tremendous quantity of carbon, consumed in the form of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The 30% reduction in phytoplankton would equate to about 190 million tons of unabsorbed carbon per year – a significant quantity in the global carbon equation.
That's a LOT of Greenhouse Gas, no longer being captured, by Nature's Sequestors.
BUT however, Phytoplankton respond rapidly to environmental changes. Turns out they can respond Positively too, given the right ingredients. They are known respond rapidly to the addition of "external" nutrients too, such as that blown in from Desert Dust storms. Those kind of Fertilizing events, are what the word "Bloom" refers to.
Scientists have determined that one of the key active ingredient, from such, Sahara-induced Algae Blooms is Iron.
Natural Iron Fertilization: Sahara Dust Storms Stimulate Huge Plankton Blooms
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles -- 02-10-2008
The eastern Atlantic Ocean, for example, is often characterized by large phytoplankton blooms; the source of iron is the aeolian dust that blows off the coast of Africa from the Sahara desert.
Replete with nitrogen, phosphorus and iron - amongst other nutrients - the dust essentially acts as a fertilizer to stimulate the production of large blooms.
Iron Hypothesis
Wikipedia
The Iron Hypothesis is elegant from a global engineering standpoint, because a small amount of hematites (micrometre-sized iron particles) could have a huge effect on the atmosphere. Tests in 2002 suggested that between 10,000 and 100,000 carbon atoms are sunk for each iron atom added to the water. With these figures in mind, one might believe it possible to sequester 1 billion tonnes of CO2 for as little as 30,000 tonnes of iron
Global Warming be Gone? It COULD make a serious Dent, especially considering:
Human emissions of CO2 are now estimated to be 26.4 Gt [giga-tons] per year, up from 23.5 Gt in the 1990s, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in February 2007.
per NewScientist article [Note: Giga = Billion]
Some Questions: Where does Human Impact stop, and Human Ingenuity begin?
Will Science save the day? Or will Industry forever step on the best intentions of Science?
With ratios of 1:10,000 -- just 1 atom of Fe to SINK 10,000 to 100,000 Molecules of CO2 -- it seems CO2 scourge may have finally met its ultimate match? Potentially anyways.
One small problem though. Size matters.
Iron fertilization
The size of the iron particles is critical, however, and particles of 0.5~1 micrometre or less seem to be ideal both in terms of sink rate and bioavailability. Particles this small are not only easier for cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton to incorporate, the churning of surface waters keeps them in the euphotic or sunlit biologically active depths without sinking for long periods of time.
[... a more recent study bumps up the Carbon Fixing ratio however:]
The 2004 EIFEX experiment reported a carbon dioxide to iron fixation ratio of nearly 300,000 to 1.
In "desolate" HNLC zones ["High Nutrient, Low Chlorophyll"], therefore, small amounts of iron (measured by mass parts per trillion) delivered either by the wind or a planned restoration program can trigger large responsive phytoplankton blooms. Recent marine trials suggest that one kilogram of fine iron particles may generate well over 100,000 kilograms of plankton biomass.
[... Nature's natural "Crop Dusting" process, has fallen off by 25% recently:]
This Aeolian dust contains 3~5% iron and its deposition has fallen nearly 25% in recent decades due to modern changes in land use and agricultural practices as well as increased greening of dry regions thanks to increasing levels of atmospheric CO2.
But I'm sure, given the Climate stakes, Material Engineers and Chemists can figure out how make enough "Plankton Food" in the Sizes and Quantities, that Science Studies require ...
One other NOT so "small" problem, however -- Dead Zones matter, too.
Algae Blooms, when overdone -- consume most of the Dissolved Oxygen, and can create Ocean "Dead Zones". These have been occurring more frequently of late -- even without our help!
NASA | In The [Dead] Zone
NASAexplorer
http://www.youtube.com/...
Under certain conditions excessive Phytoplankton growth can result in a area known as a "Dead Zone". "Dead Zones" form when big Blooms of Phytoplankton at the surface, trigger large quantities of organic matter, which then sink to the bottom.
Bacteria break down the organic matter, releasing CO2, but absorbing Oxygen as they work. Most marine organisms need Oxygen for survival and "Dead Zones" prove fatal for many aquatic species.
Kind of sounds like "the Ocean Experiment" going on right now in the Gulf of Mexico. Will bacteria manage to "break down" all that Oil [large quantity of Organic Matter], without first starving all the aquatic species, of the Oxygen they need, in the process.
So what's the right mix? Of Iron to Carbon? Of Science to Nature?
Should we dare, try to "farm" or induce these "artificial" Phytoplankton Blooms, with a little magic Iron Dust? Or should we just let Nature take her course?
Ultimately, we may NOT we even have a choice -- NOT to ???
Pandora's Box of Climate Change, being what it is, and all.
BUT, But, maybe those "Dead Zones" just need their own O2 cure, too? (maybe a deep water "Wanda" pumping through non-stop Fresh air?)
I can imagine it! ... and that's always the first step ... of discovery ...
How desperate are climate scientists?
Desperate enough to contemplate geo-engineering
Joseph Romm - The Grist -- 21 Dec 2008
In the Q & A session after Jim Hansen's talk about the dire state of the earth at the AGU meeting, eminent Rutgers University professor Paul Falkowski asked Hansen: "The genie is out of the bottle now -- What do you think of geoengineering as a way to deal with global warming?"
I half-expected Hansen to throw his laser-pointer at Falkowski. After all, geoengineering -- deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the earth's climate -- has long been a taboo subject in the climate debate. Only crackpots brought it up.
But Hansen didn't miss a beat. He said it would make sense to try "soft" geoengineering first, such as no-till agriculture and afforestation. But as a last resort, Hansen admitted, more aggressive geoengineering schemes might be necessary. Call it prudence. Or desperation.
So there you go -- James Hansen doesn't rule it out ...
Desperate times, may ultimately call for such Desperate Blooming measures, I guess ...
In any event, it would be best to be prepared with Quality Science findings, ahead of time, if that's what it one day comes to. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Because we have a LOT to learn from Nature's "Web of Life".
The Earth does not belong to us.
We, belong to the Earth.
Among that multi-layered, complex, Web of Life,
we are but one strand, among thousands of interconnected threads.
And OUR strand is mostly "dead weight" upon Nature's many diverse eco-systems,
and it seems, more so, with each passing year.
Maybe, someday, we will learn how to be "good stewards" of the Planet,
or at least maybe just "good neighbors"?
Afterall, this is the only Planet Home, we got. We should start treating her that way.
Perhaps, a bit of cautious Humility, in the face of Nature's ways,
could serve us well ...
because our unchecked Arrogance, certainly hasn't served our Species well,
nor the Planet either, the home which we are still lucky enough, to manage to live on.