Iron sulfate dumped off B.C. coast

[GLG]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...0/15/bc-iron-sulfate-dumping-haida-gwaii.html

An experimental project in which 100 tonnes of iron sulphate were dumped into the ocean off B.C.'s north coast is sparking controversy.
The iron-based chemical compound was dumped about 300 kilometres west of the islands of Haida Gwaii in a process called ocean fertilization.
The $2-million project, initiated by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp., is intended to raise nutrient levels offshore in hopes of reviving salmon populations, according to corporation president John Disney.

"The results were just spectacular, like we created life where there wasn't life," Disney said.
The dumping created a bloom of phyto-plankton, plants at the base of the food chain that are eaten by other creatures.
Theoretically, it could also help pull carbon dioxide, responsible for climate change, out of the atmosphere.
But the project is ringing alarm bells in the scientific community, because the bloom it created spread 10,000 square kilometres and was visible from space.
Some experts also dispute the purported benefits of ocean fertilization for marine ecosystems.
[h=3]Oceanographer says process 'scares me'[/h]“It scares me,” said Maite Maldonado, a biological oceanographer at the University of B.C. who specializes in the impact of trace minerals on ocean life.
"If you have a massive bloom or growth of this microscopic algae, you might not have enough oxygen in the water column at certain depths."
Maldonado said the process could have effects that are the reverse of those intended, as the lack of oxygen could potentially create toxic, lifeless waters.


The project is 100 times larger than any of the previous experiments in iron fertilization, she said.
“We have to be very careful about doing this without having a full understanding of how the ecosystem as a whole is going to respond.”

But Disney said all the results of the experiment so far have been positive, and the corporation promises to disclose the results of their project to critics.



Could be good or it could be bad but I support this test to see what happens.
This could help with so many problems we see today.
GLG

 

[Cuba Libre]

Looks like "Screw you... we will do as we please...." http://io9.com/5952101/a-massive-an...ject-has-been-detected-off-canadas-west-coast

 

[Gunsmith]

It is hard to find solid ground on that one, it is so easy to do major damage on a very fragile and already damaged eco-system. Often bad results do not show up immediately and when they do the damage might be irreversable.
I just hope that no bad comes of this.

 

[Sculpin]

I wonder if this experiment had any effect on the salmon migration routes off the West Coast of Vancouver Island this summer?

 

[Aces]

Maybe that will bring in the "steel" head, lol

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

I wonder if this experiment had any effect on the salmon migration routes off the West Coast of Vancouver Island this summer?

I was thinking the same thing while reading that.

 

[trendsetter]

I wonder if this experiment had any effect on the salmon migration routes off the West Coast of Vancouver Island this summer?

If it had any effect it would've only been on the very late runs. This was done in July and it wasn't until August that the bloom grew that large. Most runs would've been well past Haida Gwaii by then.

 

[Rockfish]

http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...t+called+blatant+violation/7394085/story.html

 

[salmonkiller01]

Not sure if using the ocean as a big beaker for experiments is a smart thing.

 

[steel_dreamin]

Cool - I hear Japan has some Uranium they are looking to dispose - maybe they can combine the two and create a salmon duplicating ecosystem.

 

[chris73]

Similar projects were done in the past on lakes to increase lake productivity. It had mostly short term benefits for the fisheries but long term negative implications for the ecosystems. Same logic was used to justify dumping raw sewage in lakes with devastating results. Not a friend of big scale application of this methods. May work for revitalizing certain small areas under strict supervision but I believe typically nature finds the right balance.

 

[Charter Tofino]

Almost done my Environment and Sustainability degree and learning about stuff like this makes me cringe. It looks like a quick, effective way to bump up the food chain from the bottom but more often than not there can be devastating unseen consequences. Increasing mans interference in nature rarely is good in the long run.


PS interesting theory Sculpin.

 

[Dogbreath]

I've heard about similar experiments off the Pacific coast of South America-I think it was Peru-as mentioned there were some short term benefits but it all amounted to very little.

 

[Jencourt]

Almost done my Environment and Sustainability degree and learning about stuff like this makes me cringe. It looks like a quick, effective way to bump up the food chain from the bottom but more often than not there can be devastating unseen consequences. Increasing mans interference in nature rarely is good in the long run.


PS interesting theory Sculpin.

X2 on this Kelly.

This kind of thing scares me. Just look into the affects of introducing mysis shrimp into interior lakes had on kokanee and Gerrard rainbow. It all looked good in the beginning and then a near collapse of the Gerrard's followed shortly after. \ Should note that they too found themselves fertilizing the lakes to try to produce enough food to sustain theyoung Kokanee. It seemed the shrimp ate the same food. Go figure.

Again I wish to hell I could find a coy or link to the documentary done on this subject. It paints a very clear picture of how a seemingly good idea with short term results can lead to long term disaster.

 

[Englishman]

According to the Guardian article this guy has been barred from Spanish and Ecuadorian ports for doing destructive tricks like this. He is also violating some laws.
He is basically an arrogant fool who is carrying out experiments which he cannot know the outcome of, on the ecosystems of all of us. The guy is a menace and should be stopped by the authorities for pulling these stunts.
Somehow he seems to have duped some First Nations as well......the work of a typical con man with no morals and so sense of respect or caution.

 

[Foxsea]

Very controversial stuff

The business case for iron dumping, based on carbon credits, stinks. I also believe the dumping was done in an underhanded fashion. Certainly without adequate regard for long-term impacts or for the greater ethical, social and moral implications - but it is legally and scientifically controversial. This letter was published in the T.C. today:

Re: "We have created life out there," Oct. 16.

The article on the Haida Gwaii's dumping of 100 tonnes of iron sulphate into the ocean fails to address the primary purpose of this experiment as far as fish habitat is concerned.

While I agree that the procedure was scientifically hasty and controversial, the purpose of enhancing salmon returns by increasing plankton production has considerable justification.

There are many published scientific papers showing a positive correlation between phytoplankton abundance and fish production.

In the 1960s, I organized and started a nutrient enrichment program on Great Central Lake, which resulted in a sevenfold increase in sockeye salmon returns to the lake, continuing for many years.

Andrew Weaver states there is no proof that plankton blooms initiated by fertilization has an effect on salmon production, but that is not true. In the Gulf of Alaska, volcanic emissions in 1958 and 2008 both resulted in enormous sockeye salmon returns; in the latter year, this was attributable to a bloom of diatoms, caused by iron from a volcano.

Diatoms are the clover of the sea, in that most of the world's largest fisheries in upwelled areas are based on food chains initiated by diatom growth. However, in the Gulf of Alaska, iron, which is an essential nutrient for diatom growth, is generally lacking.

Thus the logic behind the Haida Gwaii's experiment, as far as it concerns enhanced sockeye salmon production, is justifiable. Their timing and positioning of the iron dumping was meant to coincide with the migration of young fish into the ocean. Whether they achieved this precise timing and location will not be known for two years, when the 2012 adults return.

Further, from the initial ocean monitoring, ecological damage does not appear to have occurred.

Tim Parsons, professor emeritus, Earth and Ocean Sciences University of British Columbia

Brentwood Bay

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/techno...ustification/7408414/story.html#ixzz29fmHwovE

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

I just did a little read on Dr. Parsons. Pretty impressive resume.

http://www.drtimparsons.ca/curriculum-vitae/

 

[steel_dreamin]

What is the life expectancy of this material? has it been depleted this year?

 

[Cuba Libre]

Dr Parsons failed to mention one of the downsides of the fertilization programs in BC lakes was a MAJOR increase of stickleback that were the main beneficiaries of the increase of increased plankton...... What it did was upset the balance that nature has established. The lesson has to be CAUTION.... that is what is missing in the Gawii experiment

 

[searun]

Let's see how this plays out, there isn't enough evidence either way to determine if this is a good or bad thing. Certainly we have been doing lake and stream fertilization for many years using both manufactured and natural sources of nutrient. There is no questioning the positive results in terms of producing benefits within the food chain. So jury is out for me at moment either way.