acidification is killing the phytoplankton Thank you WR.. At least YOU have the guts to agree with the assertion being proposed out there about ocean acidification killing off the phytoplankton. I can admire that, even if I believe that basic science proves the contention to be illogical.
Ok.. So if we compare "acid" soil to acidity in the oceans, inhibiting the reproduction capacity of certain botanical life (some plants crave more acid soil), then no matter how many nutrients are added, the plant growth will be inhibited. You have to have the right acidity for a particular plant to flourish.
There are all kind of phytoplankton.. we know that. But the ones that we desire to grow are the ones with 'skeletons" made of Calcium Carbonate or Silica.. because that added weight causes them to sink to the ocean depths when they die, assuming they are not eaten first.
The second fact that we have to recognize is that, rather than soil, phytoplankton grow in what is, effectively, a hydroponic environment, deriving all they require to grow from the surrounding water. So the water has to have similar properties to soil.
Did you know that Iron has a harder time dissolving when PH is high (alkaline)?
When calcium carbonate dissolves in water, it raises pH to 8.0 to 8.5, and this is the pH range of most desert soils. In this high pH environment, iron solubility is greatly reduced. In desert soils there is usually plenty of iron; it just is not soluble enough to provide adequate nutrition to susceptible plants. Over-watering plants growing in calcareous soils can induce or worsen iron de?ciency. Additionally, cold winter soils may induce iron de?ciency, which often disappears when soils warm in the spring.
extension.arizona.edu
Yes.. when Calcium Carbonate phytoplankton shells dissolve, they lower the PH of the surrounding water. And WE KNOW that the oceans are ALREADY Alkaline. They are not acid.. as their PH is higher than 7
We also know that ocean PH varies GREATLY, depending upon where you're looking..
newsimg.bbc.co.uk
As do HNLC zones...
underwatertimes.com
So it kind of begs the question that if ocean acidity has reduced phytoplankton by 40% over the past 65 years, WHY does it flourish when you add some Volcanic Ash and/or Iron Sulphate? If the natural "acidity" of the oceans inhibits PP growth, it shouldn't matter if you add Iron..
And some of the most Alkaline parts of the oceans are located in the warmest waters throughout the tropical zones. You know why? Because warmer water holds less dissolved CO2, resulting in a greater alkalinity. Look at that PH map again and see what I'm saying isn't a lie.
And Sulphate? Sulphur is used to acidify soil, not make it more alkaline. It makes Iron more available to botanical life. Compare the two images of ocean PH and Phytoplankton above.. focus on the Galapogos Islands region.. The ocean there is MUCH higher in PH than in other areas, yet Phytoplankton populations tend to be pretty normal, if not extreme when approaching the coast of Peru and Ecuador.
Now look to the north of Greenland, where the ocean water is MUCH more Alkaline.. And look how much phytoplankton is recorded there.. Very little!! In fact, the whole are around that highly Alkaline area is low in phytoplankton..
Do you know why? Because Alkaline soil/water inhibits Iron availability.
Lower half of page.. Middle Column.. (cut/paste not allowed, or I would copy it here)..
hortsci.ashspublications.org
In sum, it says that plants raised in hydroponic conditions, in Alkaline water, become Iron Deficient (Chlorosis)..
Alkaline water = Iron Deficiency. Get that?
Add an acidifying element, like sulphur (which become sulphuric acid) and it raises the local PH sufficiently to make that Iron available to botanical life, by dissolving the Iron..
Get that? YOU MUST HAVE SOME ACIDITY in the local growth medium in order for Iron to become bio-available. If the water is Alkaline (which THE ENTIRE OCEAN is, it reduces the availability of Iron to phytoplankton.
Summation?? the levels of acidification you and LS are so worried about would actually make MORE IRON available to phytoplankton, not less.
Additionally, Calcium Carbonate dissolves in an acid solution, not a base (alkaline). The oceans are no where near to being acid, even in their most extreme zones.
As pH decreases, the amount of the hydrogen ion increases. Thus, low pH values are acidic and high pH values are basic. The world's oceans have a pH of about 8 - a weak base. Rainfall has a pH of about 6 - a weak acid.
In general, carbonates go into solution in an acid solution and precipitate in a basic solution. From equation [2], an increase in the acidity of the solution causes the system to shift to the right and calcite dissolves.
uh.edu
To summarize.. Acidity is not the the problem. LACK of available Iron, CRITICAL for the formation of Chlorophyll, is the problem.
So stop worrying about acidity in the oceans. It will NEVER (in our lifetimes and thousands of years to come) cross over the threshold from Alkaline to Acid. The farther to the right that it goes to PH 7 PH, the more neutralizing carbon carbonate that will be dissolved and released.
Edit: And let me add this.. There are quite a few different types of Diatoms and Cocoliths.. Both have shells that sink Carbon to the ocean depths.. Some thrive, some falter.
descentintotheicehouse.org.uk
Hawk |
