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Can iron fertilization of the oceans help solve the climate crisis? (commentary)

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The increasing incidence of extreme weather makes clear the stark reality of climate disruption to people around the globe. Equally evident has been our collective inability to meet the critical emissions reduction targets we’ve set to stave off the worst climate impacts. The globe hasn’t been this hot in 100,000 years and existing carbon pollution, along with the emissions expected over the next few decades at least, means we’re on a trajectory of continuing climate disruption until we’re able to turn off the emissions faucet. But reducing emissions alone will no longer be sufficient. In fact, climate models suggest that efforts to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide will be required to limit climate change. Carbon dioxide removal involves removing excess carbon from the atmosphere using techniques that range from tree planting and soil carbon sequestration practices to industrial processes that filter carbon out of the air and store it underground. Perhaps less well known are strategies that can remove carbon dioxide by utilizing the ocean’s capacity to absorb and store carbon. The deep ocean already holds more carbon than any other part of Earth’s biosphere and has the potential to take up even more. Furthermore, the sheer size of the ocean means that any marine carbon dioxide removal approaches, if they prove to be viable and safe, have the potential to be developed at climate-relevant scales. Given that carbon removal will be mandatory in the second half of this century, and given that oceans hold vast potential locations for…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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