NOT so much climate hacking as ecosystem hacking. Dumping iron into the Pacific off the coast of Canada last July was done not to change the climate but to boost salmon numbers, says Russ George, the project's chief scientist.
The Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation has been at the centre of a media storm since The Guardian newspaper reported that the HSRC had "fertilised" the Pacific with iron. Iron fertilises plankton blooms, and can be used to cool the climate if the plankton sinks and traps carbon.
George says the project was begun by Old Massett village on the Haida Gwaii islands, which has been struggling to restore its salmon fishery. "The village has invested millions of dollars in its dreams of bringing its fish back."
They got the idea after dust from a volcanic eruption caused a plankton bloom, leading to record salmon runs in 2010 (Fisheries Oceanography, doi.org/jjb). An HSRC report says the iron dump caused an "immediate shift from scarcity to abundance in sea life".
George says the HSRC looked at selling carbon credits to recover costs, if the plankton bloom traps carbon, but this was not the main reason for dumping the iron.
The Canadian environment agency is investigating whether or not the dump violated its Environmental Protection Act, which permits only "legitimate research".
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
Have your say
Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.
Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article
Subscribe now to comment.
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.
cause of whitney houston death keanu reeves whitney houston national anthem beverly hills hotel beverly hills hotel the watchmen whitney houston dies
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন