Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
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Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#2Chances are, he will do more harm than good.
This field does not have great track record. See, for example, the introduction of the Cane Toad to Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad#Australia
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#3Sure, George, Dumping tons and tons of iron into the ocean with no idea what it will do to the ecosystem definitely seems like a 'cautious approach' (quote from the article).
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#4Chances are, he will do more harm than good. This field does not have great track record. See, for example, the introduction of the Cane Toad to Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad#Australia
I was unaware that cane toads, in any number, could have any effect on climate.
"...and that is how we know the earth to be banana-shaped..."
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#5I just don't understand why everyone refuses to study the results (at least, from what the article seems to convey). Yeah, it was short-sighted and illegal and probably dangerous in ways that are currently inexplicable -- but isn't that the whole point? Go ahead and arrest the guy, or sue him, whatever -- but scientists should not pass up the opportunity to study the effects of an actual geoengineering intervention.
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#6I am not a marine biologist, but is it possible that there is a different substance (maybe something artificial) that could be dumped instead of iron to encourage algae blooms without the associated toxicity? Obviously that would raise the cost. Or maybe iron + substance X to suppress the formation of toxic blooms?
Maybe there is some sort of trade off point here. Where the C02 reduction saves more wildlife than what ends up getting killed off by the toxic blooms?
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#7I am not a marine biologist, but is it possible that there is a different substance (maybe something artificial) that could be dumped instead of iron to encourage algae blooms without the associated toxicity? Obviously that would raise the cost. Or maybe iron + substance X to suppress the formation of toxic blooms? Maybe there is some sort of trade off point here. Where the C02 reduction saves more wildlife than what…
Or at least add the iron more gradually.
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#8I am not a marine biologist, but is it possible that there is a different substance (maybe something artificial) that could be dumped instead of iron to encourage algae blooms without the associated toxicity? Obviously that would raise the cost. Or maybe iron + substance X to suppress the formation of toxic blooms? Maybe there is some sort of trade off point here. Where the C02 reduction saves more wildlife than what…
It's not the iron that's toxic, but the oxygen depletion and other toxins expelled from the algae.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom#Harmful_algal_bloo...
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#9If they were trying to increase the sockeye run, why would they get credit for a healthy pink run? Pink and sockeye are different types of salmon.
Re: Can Anyone Stop the Man Who Will Try Just About Anything to Stop Climate Change?
#10I am not a marine biologist, but is it possible that there is a different substance (maybe something artificial) that could be dumped instead of iron to encourage algae blooms without the associated toxicity? Obviously that would raise the cost. Or maybe iron + substance X to suppress the formation of toxic blooms? Maybe there is some sort of trade off point here. Where the C02 reduction saves more wildlife than what…
They could be using iron dust because it's cheaply available as a byproduct of something else, but I would have expected e.g. silica dust to be cheaper still.
[EDIT:] thanks for the info! TFA went on and on, yet somehow omitted the explanation for iron...