You are currently viewing the summary.
View Full TextLog in to view the full text
AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.
More options
Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.
Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.
Summary
Episodic phytoplankton blooms are part of the natural cycle of production and regeneration in ocean ecosystems. There is growing interest in using iron fertilization to produce massive phytoplankton blooms in parts of the ocean where they do not now occur. The goal is to transfer carbon from the atmosphere to the deep sea (see also the Perspective by Seibel and Walsh in this issue of Science) and trade it in the emerging carbon credit market. In their Policy Forum, Chisholm, Falkowski, and Cullen warn that iron fertilization would be extremely difficult to validate and would significantly alter oceanic food webs and biogeochemical cycles.
