User:Hetmann/Biophysics 101 2007/Past Ideas

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Recent MSNBC article, published 16 March 2007, which outlines 4 proposals for carbon sequestering.

Summary:


 * Geritol plan
 * This is the plan that Prof. Church mentioned in class.
 * Involves dumping iron to increase stocks of natural plankton and algae.
 * Planktos Inc. sent a ship out to the Pacific ocean to dump 50 tons of iron dust.
 * Mentioned in the 2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one possible solution.
 * Problems:
 * Biomass increases, but CO2 sequestered may be limited.
 * Toxicity to organisms?
 * Counterargument: Planktos CEO Russ George claims that the amount of iron injected into the oceans is much less than the amount currently present.
 * Potentially affects sea temperature and local fauna & flora.
 * Political implications: International agreements regarding the oceans.
 * Atmospheric Sulfur Injection
 * Proposed by Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen and by Edward Teller.
 * Plan consists of utilizing jet engines, cannons or balloons to infuse sulfur into the atmosphere.
 * Doing so decreases the temperature of the Earth.
 * Problems:
 * Sulfur is the main component of acid rain, which was fought against pretty rigorously a decade ago.
 * Temperature decreases are only temporary.
 * High cost.
 * Does nothing to alleviate the main problem: overabundance of CO2.
 * Sun Shades
 * Brainchild of Roger Angel.
 * Proposal to place a cloud of spaceships between the Earth and the Sun to reflect heat.
 * Angel claims that this project is equivalent to reducing 2 percent of the sun's effect.
 * Problems:
 * High cost: The Earth is very big and a spaceship is very small - Estimated cost: $4 trillion over 30 years (1/3 the size of US national debt).
 * Technological limits.
 * Close Encounters of the Sixth Kind.
 * Does nothing to alleviate the main problem: overabundance of CO2 (again).
 * Air Capture
 * Instruments coined as "artificial trees."
 * Use of air filters that sequesters CO2 using chemical absorbers.
 * Captured CO2 would be converted into a liquid or gas.
 * Problems
 * Expensive; less expensive technologies exist.
 * Pollution due to leakage.
 * Storage issues.