As Icebergs Proliferate Off Antarctica, New Life Flourishes - Independent

[hatrack]

EDIT

Researchers studied water around two large icebergs in the Weddell Sea off the Antarctic peninsula and found it had significantly higher concentrations of marine organisms than the iceberg-free open ocean.

In a study in the journal Science, they concluded the icebergs carried large amounts of mineral nutrients from the land and deposited them in the sea, which caused a fertilisation effect that boosted the population of key phytoplankton organisms at the bottom of the food chain. The scientists measured higher-than-average concentrations of chlorophyll-containing phytoplankton and krill - a shrimp eaten by whales - fish and seabirds up to 2.3 miles from the icebergs.

The researchers also suggest the increase in the fertility of the oceans around icebergs could be a significant factor in improving the rate at which atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean. This might affect predictions about future climate change given that the southern oceans are known to be an important "sink" for carbon. The carbon absorbed by phytoplankton is consumed by marine animals that die and sink to the bottom of the sea, carrying their carbon-filled bodies with them. "One important consequence of the increased biological productivity is that free-floating icebergs can serve as a route for carbon dioxide drawdown and sequestration of particulate carbon as it sinks into the deep sea," said Ken Smith, an oceanographer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in San Diego, California.

"While the melting of Antarctic ice shelves is contributing to rising sea levels and other climate change dynamics in complex ways, this additional role of removing carbon from the atmosphere may have implications for global climate models that need to be further studied," Dr Smith said.

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http://environment.independent.co.uk/wildlife/article2692494.ece

[Ganja Ninja]

1. I've always wondered what would happen when the Arctic Ocean

ice melts and the water is exposed to sunlight 24/7. Sounds like it could cause a major phytoplankton bloom.

[Greyskye]

2. would that start a negative feedback cycle?

Converting CO2 to oxygen?

Is this Gaea's self-correction mechanism?

[happyslug]

3. May explain the start of the last Ice Age.

One of the theory on why the Ice Age started is that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Collapse into the Southern Ocean do to increase CO2s in the atmosphere. Once the WAIS Collapsed this exposed the Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans to a HIGH AMOUNT of various elements (Mostly Iron) presently kept out of those oceans by the ice pact. Thus in the "Mad house Century" of the start of the last Ice Age, you first had several WARMING of the plant, that caused the WAIS to Collapse and that revealed nutrients (Misty trace of iron and other trace nutrients needed for life) to the South Pacific and Southern Indian Oceans. Right now these Oceans are ocean desert, for life does NOT grow in them do to lack of essential nutrients (Mostly Iron, but other nutrients are also missing). The reason these nutrients are missing is this is the further from the other Continents where such trace elements flow into the Ocean do to natural erosion. Thus you have a high concentration of life in the World's Oceans, but as you move to far from the Continents the nutrients are used up and the Southern Pacific and Indian Oceans get very few nutrients and thus become lifeless deserts even through it has plenty of Sun life.

In the last "Mad House Century", what is believe to have happened was a rapid warming of the Plant do to increased CO2 production which lead ot the Collapse of the WAIS. The Collapse of the WAIS through in a whole lot of missing trace elements (Mostly iron) that caused the area to bloom with algae. The Algae Bloom took in the Iron and used it to fix the CO2 in the atmosphere to cause worldwide temperatures to then DROP causing the last Ice Age.

People are less concern about the collapse of the much larger East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), for it contains over 70% of the existing Fresh water in the world but is located ABOVE sea level and within the Antarctic Circle, that it appears to be secure. The real concern is the much smaller West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the Greenland Ice sheet, both are about the same size (Each about 12% of the fresh water on this planet) but in the case of the WAIS NOT within the Antarctic Circle NOR based ABOVE sea level (The Greenland Ice Sheet is a lesser concern for it is based on land ABOVE sea Level and while its southern Section is NOT within the Arctic Circle, its northern section is).

For more on the Mad house century see:

http://www.imaja.com/as/environment/can/journal/madhousecentury.html

http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/The%20Fight%20to%20End%20Global%20Warming.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~icedneuron/CCLinks.htm

http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v382/__show_article/_a000382-000007.htm

http://www.williamcalvin.com/BrainForAllSeasons/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x63301#63400