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.