Some of the More Radical Proposals to Address and Mitigate

question 22

Essay

Some of the more radical proposals to address and mitigate climate change involve geoengineering, which involves deliberately modifying Earth's climate. Evaluate how the actions listed would affect the global climate and global biogeochemical cycles by answering the questions that follow.
Option 1: Plant more trees.
Option 2: Build one or more giant reflective mirrors and send them into Earth's orbit.
Option 3: Fertilize ocean water with iron.
Option 4: Spray sulfuric acid as aerosol into the stratosphere.
-
What effect would option 3 (fertilizing ocean with iron) have on the carbon cycle? What outcome would create the carbon sink? Based on its effect on the carbon cycle, how would you expect option 3 to impact the global climate? What additional abiotic factor might limit the effectiveness of this option, and why? How would this additional factor influence your decision on when to implement this option?

---

Definitions:

Amino Sugars

A type of sugar molecule that contains an amino group in place of a hydroxyl group, found in many biopolymers and glycoproteins.

Fibronectin

A high-molecular weight glycoprotein of the extracellular matrix that binds to membrane-spanning receptor proteins called integrins, as well as to components such as collagen and fibrin.

Peripheral Proteins

These refer to proteins that are located on the surface of the plasma membrane, either on the exterior or interior side; they are not embedded in the lipid bilayer.

Integral Proteins

Proteins that are permanently embedded within the lipid bilayer of cell membranes, playing roles in various cellular functions including transport and signal transduction.