Jan. 15, 2003 -- The work of the team of dedicated ocean scientists at the Planktos Foundation based in Half Moon Bay, Ca. is featured in the January 9th 2003 edition of the journal Nature (vol 421).
In a news feature on ocean fertilization the journal Nature brings attention to the concept of ocean forests (phyto-plankton) whose growth can be safely stimulated via the addition of micro-nutrients, especially iron. Like forests on land as these ocean forests grow they scrub CO2, the principal green house gas, from the oceans and atmosphere.
The recent work of Planktos and others in the field is opening an exciting new era of ocean stewardship. The goal is to bring management of the oceans, which cover more than 70% of this planet, in line with plant communities on land. Forests on land and at sea offer the promise to deliver powerful mitigation solutions to fight global warming. Understanding the role(s) and potential of ocean plants is a key to managing atmospheric CO2 and thus slowing the rate of global warming.
Amongst the pioneering work of Planktos Foundation scientists is bringing to light a correlation between ocean productivity and dust (containing iron) from the continents.
For example Planktos has recently published (www.planktos.com/oceanscience.htm#dustyocean) the results of a meta-analysis connecting the success of China's topsoil conservation program of the past 30 years with the disastrous 30% decline in the productivity of the North Pacific ocean as recently reported by NASA.
The notion that dust carrying small amounts of iron micronutrient is a powerful force in ocean productivity is supported by the work featured in the Nature article.
The Planktos Foundation is especially noted for its introduction of the Planktos BlueGreen Tag program which markets ocean biomass carbon sequestration credits via its Internet site at www.planktos.com/greentagshop.htm. As is explained in detail on the web page, individuals and corporations can now affordably offset their contribution to global warming by supporting ocean forest plantations much the same as funding the planting of trees on land.
Planktos is working in the marine environment. Delivery of the equivalent to forest stewardship on land to the ocean realm brings rewards to many including: individuals, governments and communities, and to the natural world itself. In doing so it provides a means by which industry and others can justify increasing their expenditures for the benefit of the environment. By working to establish both the aesthetic and economic value of ocean eco-assets the most powerful tools to preserve and protect these assets become available.
