posted 08-16-2002 03:44 PM            

Does anyone know what is happening to the skies in the SF Bay Area?

For days now we have had morning fog, but when the fog clears we have no blue sky, but what appears to be a complete coverup of any blue sky. This is really wierd, and in addition everything has a reddish tint to it. Last Night looking at the moon it was this same reddish/orange color. I also saw what appeared to be a huge buildup of a chemcloud off the coast. This is not just a few chemtrails scattered around, but absolutely a complete coverage.......

I dont know if anyone else is experiencing this anywhere else, but this is horrible. The only other thing that it could be is smoke from a forest fire somewhere, or the ocean is on Fire!

posted 08-17-2002 02:25 AM            

Drove the coastline and saw it float off the ocean. Chemjets were everywhere. I've never seen fog like that before and I've lived on the beach for over 10 years in Washington state. There were no waves at the ocean either which frightened me. The ocean looked like a lake on a calm day with stagnant algae floating. It was right about then that I choked up and lost it.

posted 08-17-2002 12:26 PM            

.....There were no waves at the ocean either which frightened me. The ocean looked like a lake on a calm day with stagnant algae floating. .....

This is VERY important information. THANK YOU!!

Hang in there. I know this situation seems endless and overwhelming but there is a lot of good work going on in the background, which is where some of us prefer to be at this point.

posted 08-17-2002 01:02 PM            

quote:

---

Hang in there. I know this situation seems endless and overwhelming but there is a lot of good work going on in the background, which is where some of us prefer to be at this point

---

Bows to the elite and omnipotent wisdom of those who are in the background. For without them what would become of intelligence?? Forgive me, your royal double 0 sevenness. Please do not harm us who speak out, for we are here only to await your ultimate conclusion.

I've heard it all now. Give me a break.

posted 08-17-2002 01:31 PM            

All I'm saying is that some people are working very hard in the background trying to make some connections to what people are directly observing by looking into what is going on BEHIND those repeatedly-observed conditions. It's just another way of working on this issue.

You've just lost me permanently - not that you give a shit, I do realize that. I just think the hostility being expressed here is really uncalled for and counterproductive. Who needs it?

Check into Ocean Iron Fertilization studies going on off the California Coast for probable answers to both the questions of the abnormal marine "fog" [dimethyl sulfide] and the large dead zones of algae drifting toward shore [domoic acid.]

posted 08-17-2002 01:43 PM            

I guess I should have also conceded that small minds like those who are not in 'the background' aren't privy to distribution of information or any type of collaboration. At least not in an equivical sense.

Apparently I was mistaken.

I apologize I do have a really bad attitude at this point. Bad hair day. Plus I get a little irritated by secretive know it alls (even myself at times). It's really nothing to get worked up about I suppose.

posted 08-17-2002 02:28 PM            

I AM doing just THAT. Which is why the observation by Unhappy Trails was so valuable.

I've already posted a considerable amount of reference material on the **geo-engineering project** known as Open Ocean Iron Fertilization in the past - and nobody reads it. So much for being "secretive." I DO share information, as anyone who knows me knows very well.

These iron fertilization pilot studies are generating *dimethyl sulfide* - which serves as cloud condensation nucleii over the marine layer and MAY be the source of that *abnormal fog*. These pilot studies also pump up the proliferation of a certain type of phytoplankton, Pseudo-nitzschia sp., which produces domoic acid, which KILLS everything within its reach.

Please look into this. These projects are going on in the ocean all over this globe. In the northern and southern Pacific. In the Indian Ocean. In the North Sea. In the Gulf of Mexico. Off the coasts of Australia and Hawaii.

Ocean Iron Fertilization is a geo-engineering technique intended to pump up the proliferation of CARBON-DIOXIDE-SUCKING phytoplankton - and the reason they want to do this is that, yes, there really IS too much CO2 in our atmosphere and they want to make of the oceans a more effective carbon sink.

Do I condone this activity? NO! NO! NO! NO! And neither do many marine scientists who understand the DAMAGE it can potentially wreak on our marine ecosystems.

ocean iron fertilization
Pseudo-nitzschia sp.
domoic acid
dimethyl sulfide
dead zone

Re: "bad attitude" - that's NO EXCUSE to lash out at people.

We're ALL distressed by what we're witnessing around us. And we each have our individual ways of working on the problem. I picked up *one very important observation* from Unhappy Trails and made a CONNECTION. I definitely consider that a *collaboration*.

posted 08-17-2002 03:55 PM            

Deborah, you said this Geo-Engineering project is designed to pump up the proliferation of phytoplankton. Did you read about the oxygen depleted stretch of coastline near Newport Beach, Oregon? That part of the ocean is unable to support most forms of marine life due to lack of oxygen. It sounds like this project may have something to do with it.

Crabs, Fish Die Without Oxygen
In Oregon Coastal Waters
8-1-2

NEWPORT, Oregon (ENS) - An unusual combination of oceanic and atmospheric events may be to blame for a mysterious and sudden die-off of crabs, fish and invertebrate animals off the central Oregon coast during the past two weeks.

Oregon State University (OSU) researchers who are studying near-shore ecosystems say extremely low oxygen levels - especially in the lower water column - appear to be responsible.

"Though we are just beginning to amass the evidence, it appears that there has been a confluence of events relating to coastal upwelling and wind patterns," said Jane Lubchenco, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology at OSU. "There isn't any sign that this was the result of human activities. It appears to be a natural event, albeit an unusual one."

In mid-July Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff members surveying the near-shore ocean off Cape Perpetua with a remotely operated vehicle were surprised to find no live fish swimming in an area that in previous years had been densely populated with rockfish.

Crabbers began pulling up pots full of dead crabs, other shellfish, octopus, and fish. Then dead fish and other sea life began washing ashore near Seal Rock, between Newport and Waldport on the central Oregon coast.

A team of scientists led by Jane Huyer from OSU's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences monitoring ocean conditions off Newport and off Heceta Head measured seawater conditions in mid-July. They reported that the water contained some of the lowest oxygen levels the researchers had ever seen near the shore.

Huyer said there is always a large pool of very low oxygen water at depths 2,500 feet below the surface, but this does not normally affect marine life near the coast.

Lubchenco is co-principal investigator for another ongoing research project called the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans, or PISCO.

Bruce Menge, also co-principal investigator for PISCO, and his team of field researchers recorded more marine fatalities - dead wolf eels, Dungeness crabs and sculpins, ling-cod and other rockfish - along the central coast.

Further water samples taken by PISCO scientists aboard the university's research ship provided evidence. "What we found were surprisingly low levels of oxygen in the water column - as low as one or two milligrams per liter, which classified it as hypoxic," said Francis Chan, a post-doctoral researcher on the PISCO project. "That means it cannot sustain most marine life.

Brian Grantham, a research associate in OSU's Department of Zoology, said the low oxygen levels may have been the result of strong upwelling and unusual atmospheric conditions.

From spring through early fall, he said, upwelling brings colder, deeper and more oxygen-depleted water close to shore. There, the high-nutrient waters are exposed to sunlight and microscopic marine plants grow abundantly. As these decay and sink, they consume some of the remaining oxygen in the water.

When summer winds are weak, the surface waters are warm, and there is reduced mixing of oxygen from the surface to the bottom. This allows the low oxygen levels at the bottom to persist and intensify, smothering much of the sea life in the area.

"If this happens for a day or two, the fish and crabs probably survive," Grantham said. "But over a period of time, perhaps three to five days or longer, the oxygen deprivation becomes deadly. It seems to affect the animals that stay hunkered down in one spot, particularly sculpins, wolf eels, worms and young fish. The larger fish may have the ability to swim away and find patches of water that have more oxygen."

All researchers reported that the water in the hypoxic zone was murky and there was an odor in the air. Fox described it as, "kind of a strong, low tide smell you'd find in the bay."

Oregon is not alone in facing unusual low oxygen phenomena. The so-called Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico is experiencing widespread loss of marine life, though the problems there are caused by agricultural runoff via the Mississippi River, said Karina Nielsen, an OSU post-doctoral researcher with PISCO.

A more relevant and naturally occurring hypoxic zone takes place off South Africa, she said. "They have an upwelling system that is similar to that of Oregon, and almost every year for the past 10 years they have seen rock lobsters literally walk out of the water and onto the beach," Nielsen said. "They are desperately looking for oxygen."

Lubchenco says scientists are not yet sure how widespread the hypoxic zone is, the extent of the damage to sea life, or how long it will last. "This is exactly why the research we are doing on near-shore ecosystems is so critical," she said, "to better understand the mechanisms behind such events, and increase our ability to respond to them in the most appropriate manner."

posted 08-17-2002 08:57 PM            

Thank you for elaborating. I was completely oblivious to such operations but I am willing to listen.

I know exactly what you mean when you say nobody will listen. I find myself repeating the same things over and over as well, and it often seems nobody values my opinion or reads it.

The point is Deborah, there are some of us that do listen, like myself. It is for this reason only that I get irritated when people don't share their information. Much of what I say is theoretical, but as you are probably aware, I am usually am not the least bit timid about expressing my ideas and opinions.

Again I apologize for the baditude.

Maybe if I and others can become more familiar with your research we can provide some more in-depth collaboration. I am always willing to work together. I admit I will need to do some catching up on this one, for as I said I had no idea. Thanks for showing tolerance to my attitude and sharing you information. Like I said I really do hope you are onto something.

posted 08-17-2002 10:10 PM            

From the south end of the SF Bay area, I can see blue sky and also the moon for the first time in days. There has been so much spraying lately I amazed we are able to think and stand at the same time.

I went out with the video camera today and filmed much of this mess everywhere. I climbed up into the foothills and taped much of the whitish haze descending all the way from the sky down into all of the valleys. It is everywhere!!!!! I don’t remember seeing it like this ever! There is also a weird feeling of humidity in the air, and in some places a sort of chill…..very weird.

I have done two video documentaries and had them aired on the local cable channel. After what I have seen recently, Im ready to do number 3……

I can't understand what has brought on this onslaught…..are we the civilians now considered to be the enemy, therefore anything living and breathing is considered a target?? What kind of maniaical minds can be behind this abhorrent behavior?

posted 08-18-2002 08:51 AM            

Crabs, Fish Die Without Oxygen
In Oregon Coastal Waters
8-1-2

Yes, I did read this, thank you! I'm sure you probably know about similar situations off the coast of Monterey, CA, off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica.

For general consideration:

8 May 2002
Search is on for killer plankton
Puzzling sea life malady http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/05/08/BA21 4448.DTL&type=news

Marine scientists are carefully sampling the waters off Monterey this week for signs that a mysterious species of plankton could suddenly bloom and begin poisoning marine mammals, fish, sea birds -- and possibly humans.

Hundreds of California sea lions, common dolphins and other marine mammals and sea birds have become ill or died on the southern and central California coast during the past two months.

In recent days, at least one northern fur seal was discovered stranded and ill in the Monterey Bay area, suggesting that a plankton bloom there has already become toxic enough to sicken animals, scientists believe.

The culprit is a diatom of the genus ***Pseudo-nitzschi, a microscopic single- celled plant that under certain conditions can produce _domoic acid_, a deadly nerve toxin.***

Recognizing the danger, the California Department of Health Services has issued several warnings to avoid eating all sport-harvested species of bivalve shellfish. The quarantine area is in effect for the entire California coast, including bays and estuaries. A separate health advisory for the San Luis Obispo coast warns people to avoid eating the dark-colored organs of anchovies, sardines and crab..... [more]

University of Southern California
Raphael M. Kudela, Asst. Prof.
Ocean Sciences Dept. http://people.ucsc.edu/~kudela/

Excerpt:

ECOHAB: Within the Monterey Bay region, there are several funded groups working closely together on the ***Pseudo-nitzschia/domoic acid complex.*** We (myself and William Cochlan, SFSU) are funded to develop in the field and laboratory an understanding of how Si, N, C, and light interact physiologically to trigger domoic acid production. Colleagues at MBARI (C. Scholin), UCSC (D. Garrison, M. Silver, J. Goldman, E. Rue), U. Maine (M. Wells), and MLML (G.J. Smith) are working on related aspects, ranging from the role of metal availability, ***including iron,*** to the transfer of toxin through the marine food web.

END of excerpt.

The Harrison Lab http://www.ocgy.ubc.ca/~pjhlab/marchetti.html

Physiological aspects of Fe nutrition and toxin production by oceanic and coastal diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia
Adrian Marchetti, Ph.D. candidate
Outline of proposed research

Excerpts:

.....Iron concentrations within vast regions of our world’s oceans have been proven to limit the growth of primary producers. ***Recent evidence has shown that iron fertilization in these areas has resulted in increased productivity and algal blooms (Martin et al. 1994 Nature 371; Coale et al. 1996 Nature 379; Boyd et al. 2000 Nature 407).***

*** As phytoplankton transport a large amount of carbon to the ocean depths it has been suggested that large scale open ocean Fe fertilization could be a possible solution in combating a recent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Given the dramatic success of mesoscale Fe enrichment experiments in the Equatorial Pacific and the Southern Ocean, further Fe fertilization experiments are planned. Alleviation of Fe stress in these Fe-limited communities results in a phytoplankton species composition shift where larger diatoms become dominant. In particular, in the Northeast Pacific, the pennate [DOMOIC ACID-PRODUCING] diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. becomes the dominant group, comprising more than 80% of primary producer biomass (Boyd et al. 1996 MEPS 136).***

Over the last decade, toxin monitoring programs have been established along the coasts of Canada and the United States. One toxin, domoic acid, produced by certain Pseudo-nitzschia spp. has been well studied since outbreaks have occurred both on the east and west coasts of North America. A domoic acid monitoring program coordinated by Dr. Vera Trainer of the National Marine Fisheries Service (Seattle, Washington) has identified a potential “hotspot” for consistent and relatively high concentrations of domoic acid within the Tully Eddy off the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait. In this respect, the Tully Eddy may produce a seed population of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. that may fuel blooms of this diatom and domoic acid production along the west coast of Vancouver Island and Washington State (Vera Trainer, pers. comm.). By studying coastal areas prone to high concentrations of domoic acid, we may ascertain the conditions that promote the production of this toxin.....

.....Significance: ***In July of 2002, a large-scale Fe fertilization experiment (part of the Canadian SOLAS project) will take place at OSP. The intent of my research is to assist in the understanding and possible ramifications of these large-scale Fe fertilization projects by focusing on the ecophysiology of the induced dominant member of the phytoplankton community, Pseudo-nitzschia spp.***

Outbreaks of domoic acid have resulted in millions of dollars in marine harvest losses (eg. Razor clams) as well as mortalities of marine mammals, birds and even humans. By studying physical and biological parameters of regions associated with high levels of this toxin, a better understanding of what conditions facilitate domoic acid production may be achieved......

END of excerpts.

24 March 2002
Scripps Howard News Service

Massive 'dead zone' fouls gulf off Florida http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/63144_deadzone21.shtml

NAPLES, Fla. -- Commercial fishermen along the Southwest Florida coast are reporting a massive dead zone that is almost devoid of marine life in an area of the Gulf of Mexico traditionally known as a rich fishing ground.

They've dubbed it "black water," and they're demanding that local, state and national government agencies find out what's causing it.

Scientists who have heard of the phenomenon say they, too, need answers.

"It's killed a lot of the bottom because recently a lot of little bottom plants are coming to the surface dead and rotten," said Tim Daniels, 58, a Marathon Key fish-spotting pilot who has been flying over the Gulf for more than 20 years.

Like Daniels, fishermen with decades on the water say they've often seen red tide but they've never seen anything like this -- it doesn't have a foul smell, it isn't red tide and it isn't oil. They describe it as viscous and slimy water with what looks like spider webs in it.

First sighted in January, the mass of black-colored water reached from 20 miles north of Marathon Key halfway to Naples. It stretched west almost 20 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen don't know if it's moved in from the north or offshore or if it originated in the coastal waters off Southwest Florida.

Though somewhat smaller now than descriptions from January, the mass of water is moving into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Created by Congress in 1990, the 2,800-square-mile sanctuary adjacent to the Keys is the largest coral reef in the United States.

It includes the productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean..... [more]

Ocean Iron Fertilization @ MIT http://web.mit.edu/jadhiya/www/textframe.htm

Markels Jr. M and Barber R.T. (2000) The sequestration of carbon to the deep ocean by fertilization. ACS Symposium on CO2 Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration. August 20-24, 2000.

[Proposes a demonstration experiment over 13000 sq. km in the Equatorial Pacific, and contains a discussion of never-published results of privately-funded field tests in the ***Gulf of Mexico.*** Claims costs of $1-2/ton of CO2 captured. References are included for issed patents and the pending "iron chelate " patent application. See also, the company’s website: (http://www.greenseaventure.com)]

November 2000
Wired 8.11 -- Dumping Iron http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/ecohacking_pr.html

Excerpt:

.....OFI headquarters consists of a dignified cubicle in the back hall of the Versar complex. There's a paneled desk set surrounded by diplomas and honor society plaques, a view of the parking lot, and a large rectangular whiteboard. And on this board, in erasable blue marker beneath his beloved Mae West quote, is a series of statements arranged like a proof to a mathematical theorem. Markels reads top to bottom, his voice booming with moral authority:

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED
EVERYTHING IS UNCERTAIN
ANYTHING MIGHT CAUSE ANYTHING
DON'T DO ANYTHING ...
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!

This logic poem figures prominently for Markels - in the course of our interview he refers to it almost a dozen times. It encapsulates his gripes about the current state of the global warming debate: The problem is too complex to tinker with, and yet too serious to ignore; the only answer is to study it until it's too late.

"I have a friend in the Office of Science at the Department of Energy," Markels says. "I said to him, 'It looks to me like you don't want to solve the problem.' You know what he told me? He said, 'No, absolutely not! We want to study it! If we solve the problem, then everybody'll be out of a job!'" Markels leans forward and grins broadly. "Nobody wants to fix it!" he says. "Nobody."

Nobody, he means, except himself, the man who developed IronEx research into a patented system. The primary issue was efficiency. Markels says that as much as 95 percent of the iron that IronEx II dissolved in solution and then dumped into the ocean oxidized immediately and sank to the bottom, useless for photosynthesizing plankton. To prevent this waste, Markels began looking for a chelate - a molecular ring that protects iron from oxidation just as a shark cage protects a skin diver. The most obvious choice was editic acid (EDTA), a pharmaceutical compound commonly used in vitamin pills. But EDTA is expensive. Markels needed a chelate that's affordable by the ton.

"I took a look at lignic acid," he says. "It's a by-product of the papermaking process - they used to dump it in streams. It turned the water brown, it stank, it killed the fish. I gave it a try. Turns out it works much better than EDTA. And it's cheap!"

Markels stands stiffly and reaches between the chemistry handbooks and company reports on his bookshelf to procure a baggie of gray bullets - shiny june bug-sized pellets of compressed iron dust, fortified with lignic acid chelate. He places a few magic beans in my palm. ***"We tested these in the Gulf of Mexico,*** and they work fine," he says, adding that the acid will be too diluted in seawater to cause pollution problems.....

19 March 2002
Depths of the Southern Ocean being starved of oxygen http://unisci.com/stories/20021/0319022.htm

Excerpt:

.....The depths of the Southern Ocean are slowly being starved of oxygen, Australian climate scientists have found.

"Our climate simulations predict a decrease in oxygen at depths of 500 to 2500 meters in the Southern Ocean and from two research expeditions we now have observed changes in oxygen that support these predictions," says CSIRO's Dr. Richard Matear.

"The interpretation is that less oxygen-rich water is penetrating into the ocean and this in turn gives additional credibility to climate change models. The oxygen analysis provides a new benchmark of understanding for researchers.".....

END of excerpt.

12 October 2000
Iron Fertilization in Southern Ocean Increased Growth of Algae that Absorb Greenhouse Gases, and Could Cool Climate http://www.whoi.edu/media/iron.html

Scientists who fertilized a small patch of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica in 1999 to determine if the iron would stimulate growth of algae that consume carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, say their results show that iron supply does control algal growth during the summer but that the long-term fate of the carbon remains unknown.

The results of the 1999 experiment were reported in today's issue of the journal Nature. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists Ken O. Buesseler and Matthew Charette, co-authors of the Nature study, say the results are important to our understanding of the ocean's role in carbon cycling. They also caution that the results of this study don't necessarily mean that adding iron in short bursts will lead to a decline of carbon from the surface ocean, and note that a major unanswered question is the fate of the carbon in the ocean..... [more]

January/February 2002
Southern Ocean Iron Fertilzation Experiment [SOFEX] http://www.mbari.org/education/cruises/SOFeX2002/

Seven MBARI researchers left at the end of December for Christchurch, New Zealand, to embark on one of the largest, most complex research projects ever undertaken by the U.S. oceanographic fleet.

The Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFeX) involves two of the largest ships in the UNOLS fleet, the R/V REVELLEand the R/V MELVILLE operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter POLAR STAR will participate in the experiment after leaving its duties at the Antarctic U.S. base on McMurdo Sound. The R/V REVELLE left New Zealand on Jan. 6, 2002 to be followed 15 days later by the R/V MELVILLE headed south towards the Antarctic continent. Both ships will be out for approximately six-week cruises concluding back in New Zealand. The POLAR STAR will be leaving McMurdo Sound around Feb. 12 and will berth in Hobart, Tasmania approximately four weeks later.

The SOFeX program involves 76 scientists from 17 different institutions. Dr. Ken Johnson (MBARI) is chief scientist on the R/V REVELLE, Dr. Kenneth Coale (MLML) on the R/V MELVILLE and Dr. Ken Buessler (WHOI) on the POLAR STAR.

The aim of the SOFeX project is to investigate the effects of iron fertilization on the productivity of the Southern Ocean. The results of this work will contribute significantly to our understanding of important biogeochemical processes which bear directly on the global carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and climate control..... [more]

12 October 2001
Blooming Marvelous http://www.nature.com/nsu/001012/001012-10.html

Excerpt:

.....Yet the temptation to see these findings as support for the idea of offsetting the greenhouse effect with iron fertilization should be resisted. Says Sallie Chisholm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "The oceans are a complex system, and it is impossible to predict the long-term consequences of commercial ocean fertilization."

Past experience teaches us that attempts to tweak the environment for a desirable result can have unexpected consequences, sometimes the reverse of what we want. "Large-scale mobilization of fertilizer… to the sea is likely to cause more problems than it solves," Chisholm warns.....

END of excerpt.

20 November 2001
New York Times
Plan calls for using oceans to soak up CO2; critics cite perils http://www.eos.ubc.ca/courses/eosc112/nytcarbon.html

Excerpt:

.....When carbon dioxide dissolves, it turns into carbonic acid, making the water more acidic. But biologists have observed that a change of 0.3 in the pH level in the blood of some deep sea creatures can halve the amount of oxygen. "It may not kill them," Dr. Seibel said, "but they may not be able to swim as actively as they could be before. It'd be like they were out of breath.".....

END of excerpt.

The Scientific and Policy Uncertainties Surrounding the Use of Ocean Fertilization to Transfer Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to the Oceans
A summary statement drafted by participants in a workshop sponsored by the:
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)
April 25, 2001 Washington D.C. http://aslo.org/docs/ocnfert.html

Excerpt:

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being emitted to the atmosphere in unprecedented amounts and the rate is accelerating. The control of this and other greenhouse gases must be made an international priority, and reducing anthropogenic emissions of CO2 is of primary importance. Additional mitigation measures may also be required, however, including carbon sequestration strategies. One of the strategies being considered involves adding iron, a plant nutrient, directly to surface seawater in key ocean areas to stimulate phytoplankton growth and use the ocean’s ‘biological pump’ to deliver carbon to the deep sea. This procedure may have the potential to sequester atmospheric CO2 for centuries.

ASLO invited an international group of experts from academia, industry and government agencies to discuss the scientific and legal issues surrounding intentional fertilization of the ocean. These issues included the limits to our understanding of the ocean carbon cycle, the potential for stimulating ocean productivity, the environmental risks of ocean fertilization, and the appropriate intersection of science, government and industry in the pursuit of this possible CO2 mitigation option. Although the group was not unanimous on all issues, the workshop generated the following findings and recommendations:

FINDING 1. Re: Carbon dioxide sequestration by ocean fertilization

On the basis of available scientific information, we cannot dismiss ocean fertilization with iron as a mitigation option. However, computer models predict that it would at the very best reduce the expected increase of atmospheric CO2 by a small percentage1. Achieving this degree of sequestration would entail major alterations of the ecosystem ¾ such as changes in food web structure and biogeochemical cycles ¾ as has been demonstrated in several research experiments to date. These changes will have unknown consequences, some of which will be inherently unpredictable.

There is commercial interest in small-scale fertilization experiments to better understand the ocean carbon cycle and to take advantage of anticipated carbon credits. Given the present state of knowledge and technology, it is premature to justify carbon credits for ocean fertilization.

For example:

-- There is no current capability to verify the amount and time scales of CO2 sequestration resulting from ocean fertilization.

-- It is difficult to assess biogeochemical and ecological consequences of fertilization in patches.2 Far-field, long-term and cumulative effects of nutrient applications must be described. This will require computer models validated through observations and process studies.

-- Fertilization will very likely result in increased marine emissions of atmospherically important substances, with unknown consequences. These emissions include the potent greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane, ***as well as dimethyl sulfide (which influences cloud formation)*** and halogenated compounds that are important for the oxidation (cleansing) capacity of the atmosphere.....

END of Excerpt

December 1996
Global Climate Change Digest
NEWS -- OCEAN FERTILIZATION
http://www.globalchange.org/gccd/gcc-digest/1996/d96dec11.htm

Spectacular results in a major ocean field experiment have oceanographers looking forward to follow-up experiments, and have renewed controversy over a geoengineering scheme. Last summer, in "IronEx II," iron was added to areas of the tropical Pacific Ocean, triggering a massive bloom of phytoplankton that removed CO2 from the air. The results confirm that lack of iron is a controlling factor in this part of the carbon cycle, and support the hypothesis that iron reaching the oceans in the form of windblown dust accounts for the reduced levels of CO2 during the ice ages that kept the planet cool. ***Stimulation of plankton also increased emissions of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a gas which oxidizes in the atmosphere to form sulfate particles. These particles further contribute to cooling, by shielding the Earth from solar heating and by enhancing the formation of clouds.*** (See New Scientist, p. 4, Oct. 12, 1996; Chem. Eng. News, p. 10, Oct. 14; and papers in Prof. Pubs./Ocean Fertilization, this Global Climate Change Digest issue--Dec. 1996.)

-------------------------=>

Do I think it's possible that the above-described OIF studies ongoing in several parts of our oceans may be, at least in part, behind the incidences of dying marine life, "black water" or "dead zones" [domoic acid-facilitated] and "strange marine fog" [dimethyl sulfide-facilitated] being observed by people near the study areas?

Yes. I think it's possible. At the very least, I think it should be looked into.

Keywords can be drawn from the above material for further research. There's plenty of additional material available.

posted 08-18-2002 01:52 PM            

I investigated acid rain back in the early 90s and the resulting acidification of lakes and streams throughout Canada, Europe and the East Coast. It was determined that a secondary component of acid rain (N0x)nitrates was fertilizing the algae bloom and killing off lakes, streams and the oceans nurseries by eutrophication. Cutting off the oxygen supply. Fisherman were pulling up several tons of dead fish, crustaceans and shellfish in gill nets and crab pots off the East Coast. On all accounts the excessive algae bloom was to blame. Apparently scientists have learned nothing if they're proliferating algae bloom. They must be possessed by demons. Why else would they be intentionally destroying the planet? Oh God...I have to quit reading this board...it's too depressing.

Quote by Markel:
["I took a look at lignic acid," he says. "It's a by-product of the papermaking process - they used to dump it in streams. It turned the water brown, it stank, it killed the fish. I gave it a try. Turns out it works much better than EDTA. And it's cheap!"]

posted 08-19-2002 09:17 PM            

.....I'm thoroughly depressed now.....

With your background and experience as described above, I don't doubt for a second that you are very distressed about the information I posted. I am, too, believe me. "Distressed" hardly covers it.

I can't add one word to what you've said in response to this material except to say that I agree with you completely.

The thing is, there ARE good people in the research community who DO NOT AGREE with the concept of bending Nature to suit the self-serving imperatives of human self-centeredness - and they DO speak out [i.e. Sallie Chisholm at M.I.T. is STRONGLY opposed to ocean iron fertilization - and so on.]

But we know what mindset prevails - and we know why.

Here is what I think might be another possible clue to the issue of excessive cloud [sic] cover over the California coast of late.

Not saying this is right. Am just submitting this for general consideration. I don't actually live out there and so cannot benefit from the ability to *directly observe* your current conditions.

But I do care - and I've been paying attention for a long time now - and I know what you're seeing recently is not within normal parameters for your region. You folks should KNOW, right?

[Section possibly pertinent to your area is enclosed in asterisks]:

**1991**
National Academy Press
Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309044405/html/index.html

From Chapter 6: MITIGATION

Pages 57-58: Table 6.1 - GEOENGINEERING

[Options under consideration in 1991]:

Reforestation:
Reforest 28.7 Mha of economically or environmentally marginal crop and pasture lands and non-federal forestlands to sequester 10% of U.S. CO2 emissions.

Sunlight Screening:

Space Mirrors
Place 50,000 100-km [squared] mirrors in the earth's orbit to reflect incoming sunlight.

Stratospheric Dust
Use guns or balloons to maintain a dust cloud in the stratosphere to increase the sunlight reflection.

Stratospheric Bubbles
Place billions of aluminized, hydrogen-filled balloons in the stratosphere to provide a reflective screen.

Low Stratospheric Dust
Use aircraft to maintain a cloud of dust in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight.

Low Stratospheric Soot
Decrease efficiency of burning in engines of aircraft flying in the low stratosphere to maintain a thin cloud of soot to intercept sunlight.

******************************************
Cloud Stimulation
_Burn sulfur in ships_ or power plants to form sulfate aerosol in order to stimulate additional low marine clouds to reflect sunlight.
******************************************

END of Sunlight Screening

Ocean Biomass Stimulation:
Place iron in the oceans to stimulate CO2-absorbing phytoplankton.

Atmospheric CFC Removal:
Use lasers to break up CFC's in the atmosphere.

END of Excerpt.

posted 08-21-2002 03:35 AM            

Not only has our democracy been hijacked and Fascism incorporated, but they are ignorantly killing everything in benefit of their own stupidity. Obviously something is not right with people today, and I think most of us know why. This information shows that they are also modifying the ocean and it most certainly seems that this is all being done in collusion. Nice work Deborah. There are definitely a number of obvious correlations in the press report you cited. I believe that further research and investigation of these correlations is crucial. All of our ecosystems are being altered, and there is no way that any human could foresee the consequences of all this. It truly is pure ignorance and I'm afraid it too clearly illustrates how we need to begin fighting the system, respectively. If we don't our children will undoubtedly suffer, and likely us as well.

You know the same thing happens everywhere you go in the US. Sycophancy and Socialism prevail. Every school, every job, everything is governed by unspoken socialism. It's the AmeriKan way. I used to get so frustrated with people... until I realized that it is their ignorance that blinds them. Now I just look through them. Their ignorance is one that has been passed off as 'tradition' over the years, and has been omnipotentally incorporated into our society. It's also funny to me how the concept of 'politics' is analogous with the concpet of 'psychological warfare'. Hopefully this statement will help to illustrate how deception is a prerequisite to getting ahead in this world.
Politics are just another fabricated version of socialism in which individuals come into a position of power based on financial and social status. It has nothing to do with their intelligence, morality, or honesty. By the standards of AmeriKan politics, the better actor gets the job, and only the rich and greedy need apply.