[Vo]: Re: RC'd CO2 harvesting whale herds (was: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize)

[Nick Palmer]

More on marine algae etc. Of course, one does not need to pyrolyse the (oil 
expressed) algae into charcoal. Maybe fertilising the growth of 
coccolithophores would be even quicker for Branson. Chalk is formed in 
shallow waters by the gradual accumulation of the calcite mineral remains of 
phytoplanton micro-organisms (coccolithophores), over millions of years. 
Chalk is a very stable form of carbon sequestration... BTW I was surprised 
to see that the ocean Ph is already decreasing in line with the increased 
levels of CO2 and that this may get to a point where it interferes with the 
natural sequestration of atmospheric CO2 by coccolithophores thus acting as 
a rather serious positive feedback effect.
   To those who worry about unstoppable climate change happening whether we 
like it or not, I thought (correct me if I am wrong) that the normal 
expectation was that Earth should have been cooling down, heading towards 
the next glacial period? The fact that temperatures seem to be increasing 
holds out the promise that we can balance our emissions of CO2 etc to a 
lower optimum level that stabilises our climate and prevents the slide into 
an ice age. Or not - who knows?

Nick Palmer