The decline is cause, not a result; sure, that's all it is.
Suggest you watch from this program, and especially at 55 minutes into it. (Thanks Russet!!)
pbs.org
At that time frame, they are discussing how nutrient rich up-wellings of nutrients result in huge phytoplankton blooms..
That shouldn't be happening under your "decline is cause" (presumably due to ocean acidity) scenario..
It should not matter that nutrients are available if the oceanic conditions are unsuitable for algal growth..
Which can really only mean.. that upwellings of nutrients include quite a bit of deposited Iron, which is a critical component to phytoplankton growth.. (Iron being heavier than water, and prone to sink to the bottom)..
Which, thereby, means that lack of iron, for whatever reason, and whatever source (airborne, or ocean "surges", or lack of volcanic activity) limits the growth of phytoplankton.
Hawk |
