Ocean studied using 'artificial upwelling'

Published: Sept. 3, 2008 at 4:04 PM

CORVALLIS, Ore., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists are using what they call artificial upwelling to determine how marine microbial ecosystems respond to large-scale perturbations.

Oregon State University Professor Ricardo Letelier and University of Hawaii Professor David Karl said the goal of their study is to understand the risks of manipulating large ecosystems in order to solve global greenhouse buildup.

The researchers said they are mimicking nature's complex ocean upwelling process by pumping cold, nutrient-rich water from deep in the Pacific Ocean and releasing it into surface waters near Hawaii that lack the nitrogen and phosphorous necessary to support high biological production.

"We know a lot about how upwelling works … and the physics of the ocean but there also are things we don't know, which is why this study is so important," said Letelier. "In this open ocean area near Hawaii, for example, phytoplankton blooms occur in the summer when there are almost no nutrients at the surface and the winds generally are calm. What triggers the blooms and where are the nutrients coming from? We need to know."

The initial phase of the project is the focus of a documentary to be broadcast Friday on the Discovery Channel.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Heart drugs may help treat colon cancer (4 min)
Timberlake children's boots recalled (6 min)
Chargers will not be blacked out (9 min)
Jason Evans sweatshirts recalled (13 min)
'Personalized solar energy' era nears (15 min)
CDC: Drug added to cocaine could kill (25 min)
New York arrest on Ponzi charges (28 min)
fark
Computer hacker asks for a reduced sentence because he as Asperger Syndrome, but he'll have to convince...
King Henry II's mistress may have died from consuming too much gold. That's Auful
Tractor-trailer spills load of adhesive on highway. Traffic reportedly stuck for miles
You think the woman you are driving behind is going too slow. Do you, c) pull alondside the car...
Elf and safety concerns at Santa's Grotto sees children turned away in tears
Pricipal . Caught sayof sex acts on child