The Oceans Invisible Forest
A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
The author provides information on the ocean such as that it provides with a variety of things including recreational sites and even supplies with food. Not only does it provide us with that but the main thing we need to survive which is of course, oxygen. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. All the left over carbon dioxide that phytoplankton are absorbing is being stored in atmosphere and that is causing our planet to heat up. This is why human have a big effect on the climate change. Phytoplankton already take in a huge amount of carbon dioxide and to think that there is left overs that we have to store in the atmosphere should already tell us that we are doing something bad. Phytoplankton absorb around 45-50 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. Instead of us trying to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, scientist has came up with an idea of putting nutrients into the ocean (phytoplankton need to live) so that more of them can grow and more carbon dioxide will be absorbed and less will be in the atmosphere. This has many good effects but if this goes wrong, it could effect our planet greatly.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
I believe that this topic is interesting because it is a big risk to put nutrient in the ocean but if it works then it could really help. I think that scientist should try it because if we don't then the earth is going to slowly be destroyed by humans but if we do do it it could go two ways, it could destroy the ocean and this earth (which would happen eventually) or it could REALLY help this planet. I say take the risk and if it doesn't work then we could at least say we tried to help our planet.
- If all of the world’s marine phytoplankton were to die today, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere would rise by 200 parts per million — or 35 percent — in a matter of centuries.
- Adding certain nutrients to the ocean surface can dramatically enhance the growth of phytoplankton and thus their uptake of CO2 via photosynthesis, but whether intentional fertilization increases CO2 storage in the deep sea is still uncertain.
- Every year phytoplankton incorporates 45-50 billion metric tons of inorganic carbon into their cells.
- As phytoplankton cells divide every six days, half the daughter cells die or are eaten by zoo plankton, miniature animals that in turn provide food for shrimp, fish and larger carnivores.
- Phytoplankton need nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Ocean fertilization would have to be conducted year in and year out for decades.
- Creatures that cannot escape to more oxygen-rich waters will suffocate.
- One half of the 1% of the dead phytoplankton cells and fecal matter settles into seafloor sediments before it can be recycled in the upper ocean.
- Biological pump: Phytoplankton remove CO2 from the surface waters and atmosphere and store it in the deep ocean.
- Computer simulations and studies of natural phytoplankton blooms indicate that enhancing primary productivity could lead to local problems of severe oxygen depletion.
The author provides information on the ocean such as that it provides with a variety of things including recreational sites and even supplies with food. Not only does it provide us with that but the main thing we need to survive which is of course, oxygen. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. All the left over carbon dioxide that phytoplankton are absorbing is being stored in atmosphere and that is causing our planet to heat up. This is why human have a big effect on the climate change. Phytoplankton already take in a huge amount of carbon dioxide and to think that there is left overs that we have to store in the atmosphere should already tell us that we are doing something bad. Phytoplankton absorb around 45-50 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. Instead of us trying to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, scientist has came up with an idea of putting nutrients into the ocean (phytoplankton need to live) so that more of them can grow and more carbon dioxide will be absorbed and less will be in the atmosphere. This has many good effects but if this goes wrong, it could effect our planet greatly.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
I believe that this topic is interesting because it is a big risk to put nutrient in the ocean but if it works then it could really help. I think that scientist should try it because if we don't then the earth is going to slowly be destroyed by humans but if we do do it it could go two ways, it could destroy the ocean and this earth (which would happen eventually) or it could REALLY help this planet. I say take the risk and if it doesn't work then we could at least say we tried to help our planet.