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Indian experiment may deter global warming
By siliconindia
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Friday, 09 January 2009, 17:29 IST |
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Bangalore: The global warming prodigy that shackles the very existence of the world may soon find its answers in the oceans, if an Indian experiment on carbon dioxide (CO2) succeeds. The team of 29 Indian scientists along with 11 German and 10 other scientists will divulge in a two months expedition to prove that CO2, which is responsible for global warming can be stored under the ocean for ages.
As per the hypothesis, there exist a potential to clean up as much as one billion tonne (1 GT) of CO2 from the atmosphere every year and store it below the ocean for centuries. So, the experiment's success would be a relief to the world, which emits 7 GT of carbon every year. During the $2 million experiment, scientists will throw 20 tonnes of dissolved iron sulphate in 300 sq km of ocean. This iron is expected to stimulate a rapid blooming of phytoplankton, a microscopic algae that grows on the ocean surface. The algae, like other plants will take up CO2 from air and convert it to carbon compounds like carbohydrates. As the plant dies, it will sink along with the carbon. So, if the technique works efficiently and the plants sink well below the ocean surface, the carbon would be put away for a long period, reports Times of India.
"We hope to have a deeper understanding of the technique than previous researches," said S W A Naqvi of National Institute of Oceanography, who is the Chief Indian scientist for the expedition. It is also calculated that if the entire southern ocean is fertilized by iron and if a sizeable fraction of the phytoplankton sank well below 1,000m, then about one GT of carbon would be isolated for centuries. This LOHAFEX experiment (loha for iron and FEX for fertilization experiment) also has millions riding on it by way of carbon credits. At least two U.S. companies hope to profit from 'ocean iron fertilization' (OIF), as the method is called, by selling credits.