We liked this climate change story in this week’s Economist.
The idea, mooted a decade ago and re-introduced by British researcher Mr John Munford this week, is, in short: throw iron filings into the sea, the iron then produces nutrients which ‘fertilize the sea’ and foster the growth of algae. The algae not only absorbs harmful carbon dioxide but secondly can be harvested as a highly productive bio-fuel crop. Problem solved!
Climate change and the energy crisis solved in one?
I read the article and am curious about the hurdle they mention of harvesting the algea, being just a thin film in a rather larger area. I would suggest they contact the Native American blue green algea harvesters here in Oregon. They’ve harvested for years for human ingestion. Could this be of some help? I definitely would like this to happen! Can someone locate Dr Munford’s email address? Carole at kro@peak.org
I was also looking for John Munford’s email address, in order to suggest to him that the place to do a large scale test, insulated against “unintended consequence”, might be the Quattara Depression in the Egyptian desert. Doing it there would also make a lot of electricity in the letting in of the water from the Med.
Nicholas Grubb Ireland
An interesting update to this story can be found here…
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126140321.htm