Field experiments parameters: Of the four potential means of ocean fertilization identified above, significant field experiments have only been carried out to address the effects of iron fertilization and almost all have been in HNLC regions. As described above, these studies were not designed to address the issue of sequestration and if the feasibility of all four potential strategies is to be evaluated, further relevant experiments in the field will need to be undertaken. In order to address issues of natural spatial and temporal variability, these would need to be of sufficient duration (more than 10 weeks) and scale (in excess of 100×100 km).

Conclusion : There is at present a clear and urgent need for tightly focused research into the effects of ocean fertilization. The critical areas of research will involve large-scale field experiments (100×100 km) tightly coupled to high-resolution three-dimensional computational models with embedded biogeochemistry. This is required for each of the four classes of fertilization schemes that have been proposed. Until completed satisfactorily, it is impossible to provide a rational judgement about whether the schemes proposed are (i) likely to be effective and (ii) likely to cause unacceptable side effects.Once this research has been carried out, it will be the responsibility of the science community to perform appropriate cost–benefit–risk analyses in order to inform policy. At the same time, discussions between the commercial, regulatory and scientific communities must take place so that the principles and practices of verification can be established. Read more …