Primary Productivity and Global Climate Change

This topic submitted by Jenny Gatt and Kari Panza ( gattje@muohio.edu, panzake@muohio.edu ) on 5/6/04 .

Global Climate Change -Western Program-Miami University

We looked at a possible solution to higher Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Carbon emissions are at an all time high and much of it is due to humans and the burning of fossil fuels. Higher carbon emissions add significantly to the greenhouse effect and global warming. We looked at many studies on the effects of higher CO2 levels on photosynthetic rates of terrestrial plants and we looked at phytoplankton specifically in the ocean.We looked at a case of primary production in the ocean, and how it can help lower levels of carbon in the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This process is known as iron fertilization, which involves the manipulation of marine phytoplankton by adding their limiting nutrient, iron, to the ocean waters, heavily increasing their productivity and, in turn, taking more carbon in through the process of photosynthesis. We gathered data and statistical evidence to weigh the effects of this process on the atmosphere as well as the marine ecosystems. We looked at the levels of primary production of the phytoplankton to determine whether this process will have a significant enough effect on greenhouse gas reductions in the atmosphere and the slowing of global climate change.

Will oceanic iron fertilization be effective in significantly reducing global temperatures through the sequestering of carbon from the atmosphere without seriously harming or altering marine ecosystems? We predict that oceanic iron fertilization has the potential to significantly decrease global temperatures. Through our research we plan to investigate not only the benefits but also the possible consequences of putting large amounts of iron in to the ocean. We will look at data from places where this has method has been used and weigh the pros and cons to see if this is truly an effective way to slow global climate change.
We will investigate benefits such as the slowing of global warming, extracting carbon from the atmosphere, and creating a large carbon source at the ocean floor, and find out exactly how much a positive impact it could have. Also, there are negative effects that need to be considered such as throwing off natural marine ecosystems, changing levels of the nutrient availability, and how effective it would be considering the limited amounts of sunlight available. By looking at the pros and cons we hope to form an strong opinion either for or against iron fertilization and have a reasonable amount of information to back it up.
The relevance of our investigation of iron fertilization is to possibly find a way to slow climate change. Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the many factors affecting the increasing global climate. The process of photosynthesis helps balance carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere by taking in the carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. So, globally, primary productivity greatly influences climate changes. If primary production increases, then we may be able to stop the increasing temperature depending how much we can raise it. Iron fertilization is one of our first attempts to control the climate.

To view our entire Project, CLICK HERE!

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