pdpi t1_jabz6p9 wrote
Reply to comment by PastelFlamingo150 in ELI5: Why is it that when fertilizers make their way into waterways, all the oxygen disappears, killing the fish? by Psychological-Dog994
“Can we solve the problem with one invasive species by adding another invasive species?” Is well-documented as a disastrous strategy
gl00mybear t1_jacv0mz wrote
Specifically in this case, why the Illinois river is infested with carp.
GeorgeCauldron7 t1_jacw5i8 wrote
Don't worry, when winter rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
PastelFlamingo150 t1_jac0fox wrote
That's not at all what I'm talking about. I'm talking about using the wasted nutrition to rebuild oceanic food chains from the bottom up while simultaneously pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Kaisermeister t1_jac3dbk wrote
You are directionally thinking of a geoengineering method called ocean fertilization. Using iron in the middle of the ocean where plankton normally couldn’t grow to stimulate blooms.
PastelFlamingo150 t1_jac5ut1 wrote
That sounds very expensive compared to utilizing free fertilizer runoff.
Kaisermeister t1_jac6us1 wrote
Fertilizer is much more expensive to produce than iron which is cheap and plentiful. Using runoff would be much more expensive (extremely so) as they would have to build millions of miles of piping and collection systems, evaporate it out, and transport it into the middle of the ocean.
And in the end, the effects would be minimal, since the nutrient the phytoplankton are limited by is usually iron.
PastelFlamingo150 t1_jacd7ua wrote
What about setting up at the mouth of the rivers? I imagine the operation would be easier if it was operating in New Orleans rather than Midway.
madbird406 t1_jacqiur wrote
Eutrophication already occurs at these places, because of, again, overabundance of fertilizer runoff and plankton growth. They often create "dead zones" that cause marine life to suffocate when they pass through.
PastelFlamingo150 t1_jacsey2 wrote
Right. I'm asking if there is a way to avoid the dead zones by having something further up the food chain eat the algae before the bacteria rots them. Someone had suggested filter feeding shell fish.
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