Unauthorized Geoengineering in the Pacific Worries Scientists

The region of the ocean where the iron was dumped.

The article that I read concerned geoengineering. It was titled "A Rogue Climate Experiment Outrages Scientists," and it was written by Henry Fountain. The article was originally published in The New York Times. 

This week, it was revealed that a California businessman piloted a boat in the Pacific off of Western Canada and dumped 100 tons of iron dust into the water as an experiment in geoengineering.   The experiment, which was carried out in July, was discovered recently. It was carried out by entrepreneur Russ George in hopes to repopulate the salmon living in the area.

The iron dust caused an enormous growth in the amount of plankton in the area, which in turn would help the salmon industry in Haida Gwaii, a group of islands in British Columbia. The entrepreneur carried out the experiment in return for $2.5 million from a native Canadian group. However, the experiment alarmed scientists and government officials, as it could have unexpected effects.

Geoengineering in itself is a very debated topic. In the article, this controversy was explained: 

“'Geoengineering is extremely controversial,' said Andrew Parker, a fellow at the Belfer Center at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. 'There is a need to protect the environment while making sure safe and legitimate research can go ahead.'" 

As was just stated in the quote, geoengineering is very controversial, and the possible risks need to be studied before any action can be taken. The word geoengineering refers to changing the climate or the environment, often by adding chemicals to the air or water. It has been suggested that if climate change gets much worse one solution would be to pump chemicals into the air to reflect sunlight and lower the temperature.

The example in the article is especially worrying because it could affect the food web by creating a large growth in plankton. Plankton absorbs carbon dioxide as well, and it is sequestered on the ocean floor when the plankton die, which is why plankton are suggested as a solution to climate change. The inhabitants of Haida Gwaii, the island near the dumping site, had hoped to sequester carbon and sell the carbon-offset credits to companies.

Personally, I think that this experiment was an incredibly irresponsible, and I think that the potential risks outweigh the possible benefits. I learned in Biology that all organisms are connected in a food web, and changes in the food web can cause unexpected consequences. This experiment in geoengineering could prove very harmful to the ocean ecosystem where many different organisms.

I have read about geoengineering before to solve climate problems before. One example that I have read about is cloud seeding, which involves pumping chemicals into the air that create artificial clouds, which reflect sunlight and cool down the earth. However, I think that some of these experiments could be very risky and therefore not worth it. In my opinion, the best way to reduce climate change is to reduce out effect on the climate by reducing our carbon emissions. 

The sunset over the Pacific Ocean

Article Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/science/earth/iron-dumping-experiment-in-pacific-alarms-marine-experts.html?ref=science&_r=0

Map Photo Source: http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2012/10/16/hi-bc-121016-haida-iron-sulfate-4col.jpg

Sunset Photo Source:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Sunset_Marina.JPG