Dumping iron in the ocean may not fix the climate

As arguments rage over the legality of an attempt to fertilise algae in Antarctic seas, evidence is emerging that, legal or not, this kind of “ocean engineering” may not suck enough carbon out of the atmosphere to reverse climate change.



A new study confirms that iron-enriched waters do, as hoped, encourage more carbon to be stored on the ocean floor. But the efficiency of artificial iron fertilisation could be as much as 50 times lower than previous estimates.

New Scientist