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| Hungry Crustaceans Eat Climate Change Experiment |
| 2009-03-27 |
| Earlier this month, an expedition fertilized 300 square kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean with six metric tons of dissolved iron. This triggered a bloom of phytoplankton, which doubled their biomass within two weeks by taking in carbon dioxide from the seawater. The dead phytoplankton were then expected to sink to the ocean bed, dragging carbon along with them. Instead, the experiment turned into an example of how the food chain works, as the bloom was eaten by a swarm of hungry copepods. The huge swarm of copepods were in turn eaten by larger crustaceans called amphipods, which are often eaten by squid and whales. "I think we are seeing the last gasps of ocean iron fertilization as a carbon storage strategy," says Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University. While the experiment failed to show ocean fertilization as a viable carbon storage strategy, it has pushed the old "My dog ate my homework" excuse to an unprecedented level. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #8 "Teacher, I can't turn in my homework becuz my dog ate too much iron = ate our [heating/clothes] iron"! Oh yeah, you just know it'll work on the School 'Marm. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-03-27 22:37 |
| #7 I don't know about delicacy, but it is an easy score in most bars |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-03-27 21:45 |
| #6 Whale Tail is indeed a delicacy. Boy, I'll say! |
| Posted by: Moby Dick 2009-03-27 20:36 |
| #5 Heh! |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-03-27 20:26 |
| #4 Whale Tail is indeed a delicacy. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-27 20:01 |
| #3 And Whales taste good. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-03-27 19:24 |
| #2 I suspect they don't wanna do the math, I think they wanna get started on their cap-and-trade sale of licenses to use fire. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-03-27 18:32 |
| #1 Actually, I think it proved that the experiment worked better than expected. That is, while the carbon didn't sink to the ocean floor, it was not only sequestered in -desirable- higher forms of life, such as whales, but by feeding them, they will likely make more whales, that will eat a lot more of these crustaceans. And whales live a long time. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-03-27 18:20 |