Ron--Regarding the possibility of encouraging and harvesting algae for energy, the key limitation is having the necessary nutrients‹and, in addition, the nutrients would really need to be nutrients not used otherwise by the marine food system to avoid having undesired impacts. So, there are limits (as with iron fertilization) unless one adds the nutrients or brings them up from the deep ocean.
Mike On 6/11/12 6:17 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > Russell and list: > > In my just-sent message on a new Geo-engineering overview summary e-book, > I meant to add that author Risto Isomaki had not included "Bright Water." > (Too new in the technical literature for a book that was updated in early > 2011). But there is a section there on the albedo differences of algae. > > My question on arctic algae blooms: I wonder if there is any economic > possibility of harvesting the algae for energy and improved sequestration > (CDR) purposes? (I found reference to a doubling time of 1 day) > > It took me quite a while to find the pertinent "technical" article on which > the many popular press reports on Arctic phytoplankton were based. It > appeared in last week's Science: > http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/06/06/science.1215065.full > > There is also a helpful intro to this very short article by Stanford's Dr. > Arrigo, in a recent ScienceNow short section (with videos) found at: > > http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/06/life-blooms-under-arctic-ice.htm> l > > I still think there should be more of a technical report somewhere - as this > seems to be a closed out project. Anyone? > > Ron > > > From: "Russell Seitz" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 8:16:07 AM > Subject: Re: [geo] CDR: Arctic phytoplankton - Nature's little geoengineers? > > Despite their spectacular visibility, Arctic blooms absorb light as well as > backscattering it in ways more complex than microbubbles. > > It is by no means clear what water temperature changes the interplay of > backscattering, undershine, and evolving population density will yield, for > dissolved rganic matter and suspended metabolic debris levels vary from > organism to organism let alone ecosystem to ecosystem. > > One hopes multlspectral and hyperspectral imaging will yield some correlations > soon. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en.
