Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The role of Antarctic sea ice as a natural ocean fertiliser. This project will assess the importance of sea ice as a natural fertiliser in the climatically important polar region. The knowledge gained will aid climate modellers and Governmental policy-makers concerned with the commercial use of ocean iron fertilisation as an attempt to reduce human-induced atmospheric carbon dioxide and gain carbon credits.
Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from deca ....Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from decaying sea ice and its effect on global climate urgently need to be evaluated. This proposal aims at improving our understanding of Earth's complex system, and will inform future climate change policy in Australia.
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Ocean fertilisation: a positive effect from Antarctica’s great thaw? This project will evaluate how the Antarctica's great thaw may fertilise the Southern Ocean with iron and help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions now and in the future. The Southern Ocean is anaemic, meaning that the iron levels are too low to sustain photosynthesis, a pathway by which the oceans transform carbon dioxide into carbon-rich sediments. There is evidence that melting ice may supply substantial amount of iron, capable ....Ocean fertilisation: a positive effect from Antarctica’s great thaw? This project will evaluate how the Antarctica's great thaw may fertilise the Southern Ocean with iron and help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions now and in the future. The Southern Ocean is anaemic, meaning that the iron levels are too low to sustain photosynthesis, a pathway by which the oceans transform carbon dioxide into carbon-rich sediments. There is evidence that melting ice may supply substantial amount of iron, capable of boosting marine life and removing carbon dioxide. As polar regions show the earliest and most severe impacts of anthropogenic activity, studying ice-ocean interactions is central to supporting national and international policy development that can effectively limit the worst impacts of climate change globally. Read moreRead less