Scientists have been working to reverse and mitigate the impact of climate change on the environment by using a wide range of techniques. Greenhouse gasses have skyrocketed in the last few decades and now scientists have started to use oceans to capture the huge amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
Increasing GHG Capturing Potential
Earth’s oceans already absorb 25% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which plays an important role in the gaseous balance. One way of maximizing the capturing capacity of oceans is to plant phytoplankton which grow near the surface of oceans. They capture an immense amount of carbon dioxide to thrive, which they can easily get from an already saturated atmosphere. The trapped CO2 is then trapped deep inside the oceans when the plants die and sink.
Iron Hypothesis
The recent research resonated with the revolutionary idea of sprinkling a small amount of iron into the ocean was presented by John Martin, known as the “Iron Hypothesis”. The hypothesis states that adding Iron into the oceans can help grow phytoplankton, which can capture CO2 in large quantities.
