IS IRON FERTILIZATION IN

OCEANS A VIABLE OPTION TO

COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE?
KATIE JANSON & JOHN JACKSON

Kris Guico
 Andy Wang

WHAT IS IRON FERTILIZATION?

Refers to artificially adding iron (Fe) into ocean regions with
low iron content
The goal of iron fertilization is to stimulate phytoplankton
(photosynthesizing) growth

(HTTP://WWW.CHRISTOPHERTEH.COM/BLOG/TAG/MOVIES/)
(HTTP://WWW.CHRISTOPHERTEH.COM/BLOG/TAG/MOVIES/)
WHERE DID THIS
THEORY COME
FROM?

John Martin's Iron Hypothesis:

Proposed in the 1980's

Over 11 experiments have https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Martin/

tested this hypothesis "Give me a half-tanker of

iron, and I'll give you an
ice-age."
 - John Martin
 MARTIN HYPOTHESIZED: 

40% OF
OCEAN IS HNLC
(HIGH-NUTRIENT, LOW-CHLOROPHYLL)

Joel Filipe

(HTTPS://EARTHOBSERVATORY.NASA.GOV/FEATURES/MARTIN/)
 ECOLOGICAL
BENEFITS:

LOWERS CO2
LEVELS

STIMULATES FOOD
WEB

IRON IS USED BY
OTHER MARINE LIFE
Scott Webb
 WHAT THE DATA
SUGGESTS:

Aumont, et. al. conducted

experiments designed to test the
iron hypothesis in HNLC regions.
Their results showed that with
increased oceanic chlorophyll
blooms, more CO2 was sequestered
out of the atmosphere and into
deeper ocean levels.

(HTTPS://AGUPUBS.ONLINELIBR
ARY.WILEY.COM/DOI/FULL/10.10
29/2005GB002591)
ECOLOGICAL
NEGATIVES:

UNSTABLE
RATIO OF
DIATOMS

TOXIC ALGAE
BLOOMS
John Mark Arnold
 OCEANIC ACIDIFICATION
CO2 surface absorption accumulates in the deep ocean
Excess CO2 = increase in bicarbonate ions
lowers the pH of the oceans (lower alkalinity)
Dissolution of calcium carbonate structures

(HTTP://WWW.CLIMATECENTRAL.ORG/GALLERY/GRAPHICS/OCEAN-ACIDIFICATION-MORE-
CO2-MORE-ACIDIC)
 WHAT THE DATA
SUGGESTS:

 In addition to ocean acidification,

Liss, et. al. also demonstrate that
though iron fertilization does
reduce CO2 levels, it also
exacerbates trace gas production
causing unintended consequences
for ocean ecosystems.

(HTTPS://WWW.TANDFONLINE.COM/DO
I/PDF/10.3402/TELLUSB.V57I3.16785)
 RELEVANCE TO
Geochem Cycles
BIOLOGY
8%
Food Webs Oceanic Habitat
4% 21% Biology 213 Concept-based goals:
Understand how matter and energy
Photosynthesis flow through ecosystems and
8%
understand some of the major fluxes
and stores in geochemical cycles.

Understand some of the ways in which

humans have impacted the natural
world.
Biology 213 Skills-based goals:
To become familiar with the use of
science relevant search engines, and
learn to identify primary work; to develop
the ability to think critically about
information, evaluate the validity of
arguments, and weigh the merits of
Climate Change disparate scientific conclusions.
58%

To experience the collaborative nature of

the biological sciences.
Conclusions:

Crystal Gard
ACKNOWLEDGE
THE POTENTIAL
POSITIVE
Tanguy Sauvin
IMPACTS OF
IRON
FERTILIZATION

HOWEVER, WE Jon Tyson

STILL NEED
MORE RESEARCH
 QUESTIONS?

John Mark Arnold

 References:
Adhiya, Jagat., Sallie W. Chisholm. (2001). Is Ocean Fertilization a Good Carbon Sequestration Option?. [Online]. Available:
https://energy.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2001/09/MIT-LFEE-02-001.pdf [May. 1, 2018].

Aumont, Oliver, and Laurent Bopp. "Globalizing results from ocean in situ iron fertilization studies." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 20.2 (2006)

Boyd, P.W., C.S. Law. (2001). The Southern Oregon Iron RElease Experiment (SOIREE). [Online]. Available: https://www.bco-
dmo.org/project/2051 [May. 1, 2018].

Cao, Long., Ken Caldeira. (2010). Can Ocean Iron Fertilization Mitigate Ocean Acidification?. [Online]. Available:
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10584-010-9799-4.pdf [May. 1, 2018].

Cullen, John J., and Philip W. Boyd. "Predicting and verifying the intended and unintended consequences of large-scale ocean iron
fertilization." Marine Ecology Progress Series 364 (2008): 295-302.

Liss, Peter, et al. Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. Taylor & Francis, 2005, Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology,
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3402/tellusb.v57i3.16785.

Pollard, Raymond T., et al. "Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization." Nature 457.7229 (2009): 577.

Strong, Aaron L., John J. Cullen, and Sallie W. Chisholm."Ocean Fertilization: Science, Policy, and Commerce.” Oceanography 22.3 (2009):
236–261.

Wolff, George A., David S. M. Billett, Brian J. Bett, Jens Holtvoeth, Tania FitzGeorge-Balfour, Elizabeth H. Fisher, Ian Cross, Roger Shannon,
Ian Salter, Ben Boorman, Nicola J. King, Alan Jamieson, Frederic Chaillan. (2011). The Effects of Iron Fertilization on Deep-Sea Ecology:
The Crozet Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean. [Online]. Available: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0020697
[May. 1, 2018].