Plankton remedy for greenhouse

Press, 29 June 1989, Page 16

Plankton remedy for greenhouse

By

TONY VERDON,

in London

British scientists say they have the first evidence to suggest tiny ocean plankton could have a big influence on the greenhouse effect.

Researchers have found that planktonic blooms in the North Atlantic suck up huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the oceans, which in turn causes large amounts of the gas to dissolve in the sea. A research team has spent last month sailing in the North Atlantic taking measurements with the help of lasers and satelites.

A member of the team, Professor Peter Williams, of University College of North Wales, said it had found a strong biological force, causing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to dissolve in the oceans.

Scientists have suggested in the past that they could moderate the greenhouse effect, which is caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, by dumping sewage far out to sea to help fertilise planktonic blooms.

The manager of the British research project on plankton in the North Atlantic suggested the first results of the investigation could lend support to the idea.

“The question is: can productivity of the seas be artificially increased? It may make sense to put sewage into the North Atlantic to fertilise the plankton there rather than dumping it in our coastal water.” Professor Williams said the first results of the project demonstrated that the oceans were a more powerful sink for carbon dioxide than previously believed.