Bibliographic 2: Algae vs. Shrimp

Wayman, Initials. (2009, June). Iron frtilization foiled by “shrimp”. Earth, 54(6), p.13.

Earth magazine published an article about using iron consuming algae to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in circulation. A group of researchers released about six metric tons of dissolved iron into a 300 square kilometers area in southwestern Atlantic. They predicted that the iron would cause a bloom of diatom algae. After eating all of the iron, the diatoms would die and fall to the seafloor, trapping the carbon dioxide in their bodies. There were two problems that made the experiment unsuccessful. First, shrimp showed up to the party and ate most of the algae. Second, it was the wrong type of algae. They had hoped that diatoms would bloom and trap the carbon dioxide in their tests. However, diatoms use silica to make their shells or tests, and there wasn’t enough silica in the water for them to build their tests.