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Exactly, there are some issues though with getting iron spread out over such a ridiculously large area of the world. I think an efficient delivery mechanism co
by cynusx 6y ago
Exactly, there are some issues though with getting iron spread out over such a ridiculously large area of the world.
I think an efficient delivery mechanism could be to demand that plastics slowly release iron when submerged for a longer time.
With any luck that'd clean up the plastic belt also.
Another mechanism would be to have ships and planes emit iron when they travel over these areas
- henearkr 6y agoHmm... plastic or airplane pollution is just enough to create pollution problems, but I think they it's way too small to be a suitable vector for this kind of large scale delivery. Micro-plastics are plentiful in the oceans in particular because they degrade very slowly, whereas we want algal bloom to quickly devour the iron, so that would not match. I appreciate the funny idea though! ^^ To turn these calamities into features!
- cynusx 6y agoI am not so sure about that, I think highly concentrated iron is less productive for carbon sequestration than less concentrated iron. In addition because the flow of plastic is constant it may lead to semi-permanent algae rather than a boom and bust of an algae bloom. The slow degradation of plastics is actually a feature in that sense, as a single piece of plastic will fertilize a larger area of the ocean. It may also lead to algae growing on the plastic and then dying, leading it to sink and no longer represent a threat to wildlife.
- restalis 6y agoAn efficient delivery mechanism would be throwing biodegradable mineral-coated micro-rafts into warm surface marine currents. This way a few distribution points on the planet may suffice.