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OIF

Ocean Iron Fertilization

The first experiments for OIF were done in the 90s of last century. compare The Iron Hypothesis by John Martin under Link 2

Ocean iron fertilization is a method that caused a lot of controversy in the first years of this century. This controvery was caused ba LOHAFEX, which was a (German Alfred-Wegener institute’s) trial of OIF where iron was dumped from a vessel into the ocean and then the results were measured.

The real lesson from the LOHAFEX experiment is not that OIF is all wrong, but that dumping tons of iron from a ship is the wrong way to do it. It is as if a farmer would throw all fertilizer into one corner of a field. EAMO can do OIF in a much more sustainable way. It will distribute ISA over thousands of square kilometers of ocean. When it reaches the ocean, the concentration will be so far diluted that no harm can be done by it. That is why we call it OIFA, OIF by Aerosol.

We think that OIFA is a very valuable tool in our coolbox. It is proven and doubtless that fertilization with iron works and causes more plant (algae) to grow in the ocean. The growth of plants (photosynthesis) means consumption of CO2. Some of the plants will sink to the ocean bed when they die. This way CO2 can be sequestrated in a natural, non-harmful way. Also the additional algae provide food for phytoplankton, which will add to marine life. More fish provide food for an ever growing population.

EAMO will contribute to OIFA, and henceforth it will not only remove methane but also CO2 from the atmosphere.

Quote Link 1

Iron fertilization is the intentional introduction of iron to iron-poor areas of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production. This is intended to enhance biological productivity and/or accelerate carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration from the atmosphere.

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