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OIF And Climos Covered In Neal Dikeman's Cleantech Blog
21 January, 2008 by dan

Neal Dikeman at Jane Capital and several of his industry peers maintain one of the most followed online sources for timely news and perspective on all things cleantech. He was gracious enough recently to Neal Dikeman at Jane Capital and several of his industry peers maintain one of the most followed online sources for timely news and perspective on all things cleantech. He was gracious enough recently to

interview Dan Whaley about Climos and OIF.
Climos Comments On Recent Science Policy Forum
21 January, 2008 by dan

A Jan 11 Policy Forum in Science magazine, “Ocean Fertilization: Moving forward in a sea of uncertainty“, sounded a supportive, though cautious, note for further evaluation of OIF as a potential climate mitigation tool.

The article stresses the need to have better demonstration of sequestration and permanence in particular before carbon offsets are sold from these early demonstrations. We certainly agree that past demonstrations have not been done in a way consistent with rigorous market protocols, and have not sought independent verification of results.

Climos has provided a response that seeks to highlight under what conditions we feel cost recovery via the carbon market would be justified, and provides some analogies of other carbon projects which do so in support of ongoing research efforts.

Read it here: Are Carbon Offsets Appropriate for Ocean Iron Fertilization?

We also note that one of the authors of the Policy Forum piece, Dr. Anthony Michaels clarified his position in Science Daily.

Technical Commentary In Science On Cassar Paper
14 January, 2008 by kevin

A recent paper related to ocean fertilization is the 2007 Cassar et al. paper “The Southern Ocean Biological Response to Aeolian Iron Deposition”. This paper strongly suggests natural iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean causes sequestration of carbon dioxide, and that this may have been a major cause of the reduction of atmospheric CO2 during the ice ages. Their modeling shows that up to half of the total CO2 reduction from Interglacial to Glacial conditions could have been caused by this process, or 40ppm CO2. The implication is that a program of anthropogenic iron fertilization could have significant atmospheric carbon reduction benefit.

Now, Philip Boyd and Douglas Mackie have published a Technical Comment in Science that challenges the assertion of the Cassar et al. paper. Science has also published Cassar’s response.

The primary critique by Boyd and Mackie is that Cassar’s iron dissolution model does not apply to the Southern Ocean. Cassar responds that observed increases in airborne dust also strongly correlate to increases in biologic productivity, which suggests that questions over the iron dissolution model do not affect the fundamental conclusion of the original paper. Cassar also defends the iron dissolution model, as well as the other criticisms of Boyd and Mackie.

Here is the abstract of the original paper:

The Southern Ocean Biological Response to Aeolian Iron Deposition
SCIENCE VOL 317 24 AUGUST 2007

Nicolas Cassar, Michael L. Bender, Bruce A. Barnett, Songmiao Fan, Walter J. Moxim, Hiram Levy II, Bronte Tilbrook

Biogeochemical rate processes in the Southern Ocean have an important impact on the global environment. Here, we summarize an extensive set of published and new data that establishes the pattern of gross primary production and net community production over large areas of the Southern Ocean. We compare these rates with model estimates of dissolved iron that is added to surface waters by aerosols. This comparison shows that net community production, which is comparable to export production, is proportional to modeled input of soluble iron in aerosols. Our results strengthen the evidence that the addition of aerosol iron fertilizes export production in the Southern Ocean. The data also show that aerosol iron input particularly enhances gross primary production over the large area of the Southern Ocean downwind of dry continental areas.

2007: Summary Of Ocean Fertilization Events
20 December, 2007 by kevin

Environmental Science & Technology has published a summary of major events regarding ocean fertilization during 2007. This article is factual and provides a mostly balanced perspective. Essentially more research is needed to understand potential benefits and impacts of large scale fertilization, and it is conceivable that commercial operations could provide funding to accelerate this research. There seems to be a concern that commercial funding might somehow contaminate the scientific process. Our opinion is that if appropriate controls, such as a defined methodology and third party verification are used on demonstrations led by respected members of the science community– and if these controls result in measurable sequestration for with permanence– then commercial sale is reasonable and can be used to help fund these larger scale demonstrations.For reference, the website for the recent WHOI OIF Symposium and the closing summary

Response To Recent Critique Of Ocean Fertilization
19 December, 2007 by kevin

Often a press release accompanies the release of a major scientific paper. A recent example is a press release by the University of Miami, which is based on a paper published in JGR by Lutz et al. Unfortunately, the findings of the paper itself contradict the claims of the press release.

Climos has written a response to the Press Release (download).

 

The abstract is posted below:

<i>JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, C10011, 2007

Seasonal rhythms of net primary production and particulate organic carbon flux to depth describe the efficiency of biological pump in the global ocean

Lutz, et al.Abstract: We investigate the functioning of the ocean’s biological pump by analyzing the vertical transfer efficiency of particulate organic carbon (POC). Data evaluated include globally distributed time series of sediment trap POC flux, and remotely sensed estimates of net primary production (NPP) and sea surface temperature (SST). Mathematical techniques are developed to compare these temporally discordant time series using NPP and POC flux climatologies. The seasonal variation of NPP is mapped and shows regional- and basin-scale biogeographic patterns reflecting solar, climatic, and oceanographic controls. Patterns of flux are similar, with more high-frequency variability and a subtropical-subpolar pattern of maximum flux delayed by about 5 days per degree latitude increase, coherent across multiple sediment trap time series. Seasonal production-to-flux analyses indicate during intervals of bloom production, the sinking fraction of NPP is typically half that of other seasons. This globally synchronous pattern may result from seasonally varying biodegradability or multiseasonal retention of POC. The relationship between NPP variability and flux variability reverses with latitude, and may reflect dominance by the large-amplitude seasonal NPP signal at higher latitudes. We construct algorithms describing labile and refractory flux components as a function of remotely sensed NPP rates, NPP variability, and SST, which predict POC flux with accuracies greater than equations typically employed by global climate models. Globally mapped predictions of POC export, flux to depth, and sedimentation are supplied. Results indicate improved ocean carbon cycle forecasts may be obtained by combining satellite-based observations and more mechanistic representations taking into account factors such as mineral ballasting and ecosystem structure.
Climos In Bali / OIF Covered In IETA 2007 GHG Market Report
5 December, 2007 by ben

An overview of ocean iron fertilization (OIF) was covered in the IETA 2007 Greenhouse Gas Market report, released during the recent Bali Conference of the Parties (COP 13). The overview, provided by Climos, covers technical aspects of OIF relating to standard industry GHG accounting protocols, environmental questions that have been raised and recent developments in the field. Climos also gave an overview of OIF in a side session co-sponsored by IETA during the Bali Conference. An overview of ocean iron fertilization (OIF) was covered in the IETA 2007 Greenhouse Gas Market report, released during the recent Bali Conference of the Parties (COP 13). The overview, provided by Climos, covers technical aspects of OIF relating to standard industry GHG accounting protocols, environmental questions that have been raised and recent developments in the field.

Climos also gave an overview of OIF in a side session co-sponsored by IETA during the Bali Conference.

The full IETA report can be downloaded here.
VIDEO> Dr. Leinen Speaks At MIT 2007 ESI/CGCS Symposium
9 October, 2007 by dan

See Dr. Margaret Leinen, Climos Chief Science Officer, lecturing at the recent MIT Earth System Initiative / Center for Global Change Science Symposium, October 9. See Dr. Margaret Leinen, Climos Chief Science Officer, lecturing at the recent MIT Earth System Initiative / Center for Global Change Science Symposium, October 9.

View the video here Read an overview of her lecture here On the symposium: One of the most baffling questions in science - where did life come from? - opened the first "Earth System Revolutions: Key Turning Points in the History of Our Planet," a symposium on Oct. 9 sponsored by MIT's Earth System Initiative and the Center for Global Change Science. Before the daylong event concluded, the audience was pondering an equally significant question: "Where is life on earth going?" These two questions bracketed a series of presentations that ranged from the primordial rise of oxygen to the impact of increased carbon dioxide and higher global temperatures to alternative energy sources to how humans could "geoengineer" the earth to mitigate climate change. A consistent thread tied together the various topics: conditions on earth led to life and life has changed the earth itself. Long before we evolved, the planet's biosphere was in a state of flux; humans have, perhaps, just speeded up the rate of change.

As Penny Chisholm, ESI Director, noted in her opening remarks: "You have to know where you have come from to understand where you might be headed."

Margaret followed Dr. Paul Falkowski and Ron Prinn.

About her lecture:

The pace of global carbon emissions may be such that humanity’s best efforts to stabilize them below current levels by 2050 won’t be enough to prevent a significant increase in Earth’s temperatures. Margaret Leinen, drawing on the U.N.’s recent climate reports, and the latest research from the field, shows the dire graph: a red line of CO2 emissions marching steadily upward, with accompanying graphics depicting hoped-for impacts of international efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas release.

The current global abatement “wedges” consist of technologies not yet developed or widely deployed, such as energy efficiencies, cellulosic biofuels, solar, wind, and nuclear. Leinen notes that most of the abatement in renewables “comes into play 20-30 years out,” and the “reality is there will be increases in CO2 in the atmosphere for the next 20-30 years while we try to address the problem.” Policy makers have not begun to grapple with the notion of delayed onset of emissions, says Leinen. Among scientists, there’s growing concern that “we’re going to be dealing with catch-up for a long enough time that we will suffer the consequences of emissions regardless of whether we put policies in place.” These projections suggest to some scientists that we must take more radical, immediate steps and geoengineer our way out of global warming. But other scientists, says Leinen, are loath to discuss these approaches, much less let them see the light of day. Carbon capture and sequestration, “viewed as necessary mechanisms for emissions reductions by some” says Leinen, and which have captured the interest of politicians, are viewed by another scientific camp “as soft engineering, or geoengineering light.” When a Nobel scientist wrote an article proposing the use of stratospheric aerosols to decrease sunlight hitting the earth, alarmed scientists lobbied prestigious journals not to publish it. Leinen’s own area of research, ocean iron fertilization, attempts to stimulate phytoplankton activity, which would help sop up atmospheric CO2. These approaches all face opposition because of their possible, negative impacts. But, says Leinen, these arguments “ignore the fact that we’re faced with a situation in which we must have an entire portfolio of activities” for reducing CO2. She worries that lack of discourse, or constant dispute will put scientists in a position “where policy makers want to move to (the new) techniques … and we won’t have studied them sufficiently to provide good scientific answers about whether they work.”
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