Ocean climate fix remains afloat

One of the more far-out ideas to “fix” the carbon dioxide emission problem and save the planet still has its proponents, although many remain opposed.  The idea is to use plankton as a sponge to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the sea, where it sinks to the bottom and is locked into deep sea sediment.  But the amount of carbon dioxide stored away was less than predicted, so some have proposed “seeding” the plankton with iron, which can stimulate it’s growth.  Others fear that adding iron to the ocean may damage ecosystems.  Experiments show that natural iron increased the amount of stored carbon, but it still fell far below estimates.  The next steps, using artificial iron, will be crucial to determine the ecological impacts.  The German government has now authorized an ocean fertilization experiment near Argentina. However, squabbling continues over what rules and safeguards should apply.