Ocean Iron Fertilization

Ocean Iron Fertilization could sequester up to 1.5 gigatons of CO2 per year by triggering phytoplankton blooms, at a cost as low as $150 per ton—cheaper than #3 Direct Air Carbon Capture’s $400 minimum. Yet field trials have yielded inconsistent results, with only a 30% increase in carbon uptake observed in the Southern Ocean experiment, while some blooms created toxic algae patches that disrupted local fisheries. This instability makes it a speculative alternative to proven methods like nuclear power.