welcome
Good News Network

Good News Network

Science

Science

Trillions of Microscopic Sea Plankton Recruited to Solve the Carbon Problem

Good News Network
Summary
Nutrition label

79% Informative

Technique harnesses the animals’ habits to essentially accelerate the ocean’s natural cycle for removing carbon from the atmosphere.

The process would begin with spraying the clay dust at the end of algae blooms.

Once the bloom dies, marine bacteria devour the particulates, releasing most of the captured carbon back into the atmosphere, scientists say.

The clay-carbon flocs will be placed at various depths offshore.

Sharma hopes to gauge the optimal timing and locations to deploy this method.

“You cannot go around willy-nilly dumping clay everywhere. We are not there yet—we are at the beginning,” Sharma said.