IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i16p10372-d893457.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Iron-Marine Algal Interactions and Impacts: Decreasing Global Warming by Increasing Algal Biomass

Author

Listed:
  • Nermin A. El Semary

    (Biological Sciences Department, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
    Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Cairo 11795, Egypt)

Abstract

Iron limitation in vast water bodies has been linked to decreased algal productivity, despite different iron-acquiring mechanisms, and the presence of ferritin in many algal species that act as an iron internal reservoir. Therefore, iron fertilization has been proposed to increase algal biomass and photosynthesis. This, in turn, will reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increase oxygen, thereby decreasing global warming, and achieving ecological balance. In addition, algal proliferation will hopefully lead to enhancement in biodiversity, Biological pump, fish productivity and, subsequently marine food industry. Many climate geoengineering experiments in the form of ocean iron fertilization have been conducted globally in order to achieve such a purpose. However, reservations remain as the outcomes are not as promising as were previously expected. As the temporal and spatial scales of iron fertilization experiments are limited, the effects on fish productivity remain speculative. On the other hand, side effects were also recorded. The main purpose of iron fertilization, for carbon dioxide sequestration and global warming mitigation, still remains to be fully realized and verified. Several improvements and future modifications are suggested, and legal issues are discussed in this review.

Suggested Citation

  • Nermin A. El Semary, 2022. "Iron-Marine Algal Interactions and Impacts: Decreasing Global Warming by Increasing Algal Biomass," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-11, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10372-:d:893457
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10372/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10372/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stéphane Blain & Bernard Quéguiner & Leanne Armand & Sauveur Belviso & Bruno Bombled & Laurent Bopp & Andrew Bowie & Christian Brunet & Corina Brussaard & François Carlotti & Urania Christaki & Antoin, 2007. "Effect of natural iron fertilization on carbon sequestration in the Southern Ocean," Nature, Nature, vol. 446(7139), pages 1070-1074, April.
    2. Gabrielle Rocap & Frank W. Larimer & Jane Lamerdin & Stephanie Malfatti & Patrick Chain & Nathan A. Ahlgren & Andrae Arellano & Maureen Coleman & Loren Hauser & Wolfgang R. Hess & Zackary I. Johnson &, 2003. "Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation," Nature, Nature, vol. 424(6952), pages 1042-1047, August.
    3. Jeffrey B. McQuaid & Adam B. Kustka & Miroslav Oborník & Aleš Horák & John P. McCrow & Bogumil J. Karas & Hong Zheng & Theodor Kindeberg & Andreas J. Andersson & Katherine A. Barbeau & Andrew E. Allen, 2018. "Carbonate-sensitive phytotransferrin controls high-affinity iron uptake in diatoms," Nature, Nature, vol. 555(7697), pages 534-537, March.
    4. Graham Peers & Neil M. Price, 2006. "Copper-containing plastocyanin used for electron transport by an oceanic diatom," Nature, Nature, vol. 441(7091), pages 341-344, May.
    5. B. Palenik & B. Brahamsha & F. W. Larimer & M. Land & L. Hauser & P. Chain & J. Lamerdin & W. Regala & E. E. Allen & J. McCarren & I. Paulsen & A. Dufresne & F. Partensky & E. A. Webb & J. Waterbury, 2003. "The genome of a motile marine Synechococcus," Nature, Nature, vol. 424(6952), pages 1037-1042, August.
    6. E. J. Boekema & A. Hifney & A. E. Yakushevska & M. Piotrowski & W. Keegstra & S. Berry & K.-P. Michel & E. K. Pistorius & J. Kruip, 2001. "A giant chlorophyll–protein complex induced by iron deficiency in cyanobacteria," Nature, Nature, vol. 412(6848), pages 745-748, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Robert H. Lampe & Tyler H. Coale & Kiefer O. Forsch & Loay J. Jabre & Samuel Kekuewa & Erin M. Bertrand & Aleš Horák & Miroslav Oborník & Ariel J. Rabines & Elden Rowland & Hong Zheng & Andreas J. And, 2023. "Short-term acidification promotes diverse iron acquisition and conservation mechanisms in upwelling-associated phytoplankton," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Dvir Harris & Hila Toporik & Gabriela S. Schlau-Cohen & Yuval Mazor, 2023. "Energetic robustness to large scale structural fluctuations in a photosynthetic supercomplex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Rickels, Wilfried & Rehdanz, Katrin & Oschlies, Andreas, 2012. "Economic prospects of ocean iron fertilization in an international carbon market," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 129-150.
    4. Lola Gilbert & Tiphaine Jeanniard-du-Dot & Matthieu Authier & Tiphaine Chouvelon & Jérôme Spitz, 2023. "Composition of cetacean communities worldwide shapes their contribution to ocean nutrient cycling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Fernanda Sayuri Yoshino Watanabe & Enner Alcântara & Thanan Walesza Pequeno Rodrigues & Nilton Nobuhiro Imai & Cláudio Clemente Faria Barbosa & Luiz Henrique da Silva Rotta, 2015. "Estimation of Chlorophyll-a Concentration and the Trophic State of the Barra Bonita Hydroelectric Reservoir Using OLI/Landsat-8 Images," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-27, August.
    6. Ratnarajah, Lavenia & Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica & Marzloff, Martin P. & Lannuzel, Delphine & Meiners, Klaus M. & Chever, Fanny & Nicol, Stephen & Bowie, Andrew R., 2016. "A preliminary model of iron fertilisation by baleen whales and Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean: Sensitivity of primary productivity estimates to parameter uncertainty," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 320(C), pages 203-212.
    7. Rickels, Wilfried & Rehdanz, Katrin & Oschlies, Andreas, 2010. "Methods for greenhouse gas offset accounting: A case study of ocean iron fertilization," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 2495-2509, October.
    8. Dolly C. Manic & Richard D. Redil & Irene B. Rodriguez, 2024. "Trace Metals in Phytoplankton: Requirements, Function, and Composition in Harmful Algal Blooms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-36, June.
    9. Ryo Nagao & Koji Kato & Tasuku Hamaguchi & Yoshifumi Ueno & Naoki Tsuboshita & Shota Shimizu & Miyu Furutani & Shigeki Ehira & Yoshiki Nakajima & Keisuke Kawakami & Takehiro Suzuki & Naoshi Dohmae & S, 2023. "Structure of a monomeric photosystem I core associated with iron-stress-induced-A proteins from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Mori, Mao & Corney, Stuart P. & Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica & Welsford, Dirk C. & Klocker, Andreas & Ziegler, Philippe E., 2016. "Using satellite altimetry to inform hypotheses of transport of early life stage of Patagonian toothfish on the Kerguelen Plateau," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 340(C), pages 45-56.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10372-:d:893457. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.