Thank you Andrew Revkin A few comments on your report -
"Most of the data collected during the iron-seeding effort in 2012 – some gathered with instruments loaned by Canadian and United States ocean agencies – are not yet public." The data was placed in public domain a couple of days ago. "..small area and short lifetime of the bloom meant its didn’t come close to comparing to the carbon absorption from a 2008 eruption and other natural sources of iron. " Considering the uproar 120 tons caused, who would do a larger experiment. "..meaning lots more research needs to be done..." I agree. "The problem is that no new basic research of this sort has been initiated in recent years." I hope regular annual fertilization experiments are started. "George insists the project was “a phenomenal success <http://russgeorge.net/2014/06/23/worlds-first-commercial-scale-ocean-pasture-restoration/>,” pointing to big recent salmon hauls along the coast." The 2014 salmon run at proves that the 2012 fertilization did not do any harm. Whether it was a success or not will be known when the data now made public is analysed. Researchers say funding agencies have been rendered gun-shy by the continuing battle between George and his main critic, the technology watchdog organization ETC Group <http://www.etcgroup.org/content/informational-backgrounder-2012-haida-gwaii-iron-dump>, which long predates the salmon project. Reminds me of the days when the high seas were ruled by pirates and private armies. It will take some time to understand who are the pirates and who are the private army in the current situation. I wonder when we will have rule of law on the high seas for Fertilization. We need a proper permit and supervision process to be implemented at the earliest, so that regular and large scale fertilization experiments can be conducted. Regards Bhaskar On Friday, 18 July 2014 17:43:38 UTC+5:30, Andrew Revkin wrote: > > L 18 7:55 AMJul 18 7:55 am Comment > <http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/a-fresh-look-at-iron-plankton-carbon-salmon-and-ocean-engineering/#commentsContainer> > A Fresh Look at Iron, Plankton, Carbon, Salmon and Ocean Engineering > <http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/a-fresh-look-at-iron-plankton-carbon-salmon-and-ocean-engineering/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=technology&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body> > > By ANDREW C. REVKIN > <http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-c-revkin/>Video of the > 2012 Haida iron fertilization effort > > Two years ago this month, an edge-pushing environmental entrepreneur > <http://www.loe.org/series/series.html?seriesID=27> and a company formed > by a Native Canadian village set off a wave of international protest by > dispersing > a pink slurry of 100 tons of iron-rich dust > <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/science/earth/iron-dumping-experiment-in-pacific-alarms-marine-experts.html> > over > one of the 60-mile-wide ocean eddies > <http://www.researchgate.net/publication/252383340_Iron_transport_by_mesoscale_Haida_eddies_in_the_Gulf_of_Alaska/file/3deec5297b996a55fa.pdf> > that > routinely drift across the salmon feeding grounds of the Gulf of Alaska. > > Their goal, in the face of steep declines in Pacific salmon catches > <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sockeye-salmon-adult-populations-in-widespread-decline-1.1136426>, > > was to trigger a plankton population explosion with the infusion of iron, a > vital nutrient that’s lacking in those waters. Volcanic eruptions > <http://news.sciencemag.org/2010/10/how-volcanoes-feed-plankton> had been > shown to do the same thing. Why not humans? > > The plankton bloom, in theory, would nourish millions of juvenile fish > that circulate in the Gulf before returning to the coast to spawn. > > Along with a boosted catch, a second hoped-for payoff was the sale of > carbon credits on international markets aimed at offsetting greenhouse gas > pollution by financing projects that absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide — > typically by planting trees but in this case through spurring plankton > growth. More than $2 million was invested in the project through the tribal > company, the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation > <http://www.haidasalmonrestoration.com/index.php/about-us/our-story>. > > The protests > <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/15/pacific-iron-fertilisation-geoengineering> > mainly > came from groups and scientists critical of geo-engineering, large-scale > efforts to harness or control the shared environment to serve human needs — > particularly if the efforts were private. They asserted the project > violated international ocean-dumping rules and a moratorium on ocean > fertilization. > > Russ George, the iron-dust entrepreneur (who is now in a legal fight with > some of his former partners > <http://newenergytimes.com/v2/sr/companies/RussGeorge/2013/20140224HSRC-vs-Russ-George-counterclaim.pdf>), > > has defended the effort as stewardship, not pollution. > > Don’t count on a quick resolution of either the litigation or any > prosecution arising from a long-running investigation by Canada’s > environment agency > <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/ocean-fertilization-experiment-loses-in-bc-court-charges-now-likely/article16672031/>, > > which has asserted in court that the project violated Canadian law. > > But now that independent scientists have appraised the 2012 iron pulse, > and millions of young salmon that were at sea that summer are heading up > streams, and into nets, it’s at least possible to begin assessing outcomes > and lessons from this freelance effort at treating the open sea like a > farmer’s field — and a carbon safe-deposit box. READ MORE… > <http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/a-fresh-look-at-iron-plankton-carbon-salmon-and-ocean-engineering/?module=BlogPost-ReadMore&version=Blog%20Main&action=Click&contentCollection=technology&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body#more-52728> > > -- > *_* > > ANDREW C. REVKIN > Dot Earth blogger <http://www.nytimes.com/dotearth>, The New York Times > Senior Fellow <http://www.pace.edu/paaes/faculty-and-staff>, Pace U. > Academy for Applied Env. Studies > Cell: 914-441-5556 Fax: 914-989-8009 > Twitter: @revkin <http://twitter.com/revkin> Skype: Andrew.Revkin > Music: "A Very Fine Line <http://veryfinelines.com>" CD > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. 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