----- Original Message ----- From: sunder <sunder@sunder.net>
There is a book that this is written in about called "Deep Time" which is a damned good read IMHO. (It's about how to make things last for millenia.)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380975378/qid=972503490/sr=1-3/102-7 742712-2792108
The best quote from the guy that thought up the idea of feeding plankton FeO2 was "Give me a frigate full of rust, and I'll give you your next ice age." (from wetware RAM, #include <stdwarn.h>)
My back-of-the-computerized-envelope calculation shows that it would take 5900 metric tons (2200 lbs) to load a volume of 100km by 100km by 100 meters of water with 100 nanomolar level of iron ion. (weight counts only that of iron, not the anion.) Big supertankers hold approximately 400,000 tons of oil, which happens to be much less dense than iron oxide. I haven't read much on the results of the experiment done, but my impression is that this kind of iron fertilizing is very much worth doing. Jim Bell