Feasibility of ocean fertilization and its impact on future atmospheric CO2 levels
نویسندگان
چکیده
[1] Iron fertilization of macronutrient-rich but biologically unproductive ocean waters has been proposed for sequestering anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2). The first carbon export measurements in the Southern Ocean (SO) during the recent SO-Iron Experiment (SOFeX) yielded 900 t C exported per 1.26 t Fe added. This allows the first realistic, data-based feasibility assessment of large-scale iron fertilization and corresponding future atmospheric CO2 prognosis. Using various carbon cycle models, we find that if 20% of the world’s surface ocean were fertilized 15 times per year until year 2100, it would reduce atmospheric CO2 by ]15 ppmv at an expected level of 700 ppmv for business-as-usual scenarios. Thus, based on the SOFeX results and currently available technology, large–scale oceanic iron fertilization appears not a feasible strategy to sequester anthropogenic CO2. Citation: Zeebe, R. E., and D. Archer (2005), Feasibility of ocean fertilization and its impact on future atmospheric CO2 levels, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L09703, doi:10.1029/2005GL022449.
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