Natural Experiments Prove Phytoplankton Carbon Removal Works

Natural experiments prove phytoplankton carbon removal works

I explore how natural events like Saharan dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires have long fertilized oceans, triggering massive phytoplankton blooms that remove carbon dioxide. Decades of satellite data and research cruises confirm that adding iron to nutrient-poor waters reliably boosts marine life and sequesters carbon, debunking fears that such geoengineering is untested or risky.

"Never in a million years would the craziest of the mad geoengineers dream of adding a fraction of the iron the Sahara dumps on the North Atlantic every day."