Investigating Iron Fertilization is Like Entering a Battle!

I've spend the past week reading up on one of the more likely ocean sequestration methods...Iron Fertilization. What I have found is amazing...unlike the other types of sequestration (where any scientific discussions are very dry and scientific), this one seems to be filled with ideology, politics, and almost a type of religious fervor. Emotions apparently run hot in the Oceanography field. Who would have guessed?

Reading this material, it is not clear who to believe. Most of the scientists involved seemed to have very strong personal convictions which make me hesitant to trust their conclusions (I'm a long-time scientist and have learned to "read between the lines".

History:

Science News 1995

CNN.COM

Sofex Cruise

Science Daily 2003

Barber 2004


Pro:

2001 NETL Presentation By Markel and Barber

Hal Plotkin on SFGate

Greensea Ventures


Con:


http://web.mit.edu/chisholm/www/publications/fefert.pdf

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/294/5541/309

http://marine.rutgers.edu/ebme/html_docs/reprints/Chisolm_etal_Dis-Crediting_Science_294_2001.pdf


Conventions and Politics:

http://aslo.org/meetings/carbon2001/index.html


Criticism of Commercial Ventures

Since 1990s there have been a few commercial firms that have attempted to develop viable iron fertilization processes. They've been subjected to some pretty virulent attacks in the press. For someone from the ecosystem restoration field like myself (where commercial and corporate partners are welcome and considered extremely beneficial) this seems like a very strange situation.

Ocean Fertilization is Folly (Chisholm)

Living On Earth



Technorati: Carbon Sequestration, Global Warming, Coal, Wikipedia, Carbon Dioxide, Acidification, Plankton