| The Good Side of Eyjafjallajökul's Eruption |
| 13 May 2010 |
|
After several weeks of persisting problems due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, it looks like we might also gain from this event: volcanic ashes are in fact a very good fertiliser for oceans, as the researchers of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (California, USA) explain. We will not experience its good effects right now, but in 10 years. In particular, ashes are rich of iron, which is rare in ocean water and can be a great fertiliser. This should be the first piece in a domino process: the water enriched with iron will let the phytoplankton grow, which means on one hand that there will be higher food availability in the seas, on the other that a major quantity of oxygen will be released and consequently a major quantity of CO2 will be captured by oceans. In past decades these phenomena have already been studied after the eruptions of Mount Agung (Bali, Indonesia) and Mount Pinatubo (Luzon, Philippines) and the relation between global climate change and volcano eruptions has been analysed. It was highlighted that the release of iron, phosphate, magnesium and silicon enriches marine water just after the eruption and also that in the following years several good effects are visible. Of course the effects of such events cannot be just positive, as they could significantly affect the planet climate. Nevertheless, scientists suggest to focus on their good outcomes, as this fertiliser action can be seen as true manna from heaven. The research is published on Geology Magazine." |
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