NASA hypes Arctic algal blooms as “unprecedented” but they are common

http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2012/09/29/nasa-hypes-arctic-algal-blooms-as-unprecedented-but-they-are-common/

NASA hypes Arctic algal blooms as “unprecedented” but they are common

by Jonathan DuHamel on Sep. 29, 2012, under Climate change, General Science

The NASA headline reads: “NASA Discovers Unprecedented Blooms of Ocean Plant Life.” Within the article we find:

“Scientists have made a biological discovery in Arctic Ocean waters as dramatic and unexpected as finding a rainforest in the middle of a desert. A NASA-sponsored expedition punched through three-foot thick sea ice to find waters richer in microscopic marine plants, essential to all sea life, than any other ocean region on Earth. The finding reveals a new consequence of the Arctic’s warming climate and provides an important clue to understanding the impacts of a changing climate and environment on the Arctic Ocean and its ecology.”

“If someone had asked me before the expedition whether we would see under-ice blooms, I would have told them it was impossible,” said Kevin Arrigo of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., leader of the ICESCAPE mission and lead author of the new study. “This discovery was a complete surprise.” (See full article here)

Perhaps these NASA scientists should research the scientific literature more carefully. If they did, they might have discovered that Arctic algal blooms are not “unprecedented” or even unusual.

For instance, we have this paper from 1996 reporting on research in 1993:

“Occurrence of an algal bloom under Arctic pack ice” by R. Gradinger, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 131.

Abstract:

“Summer melting of sea ice leads to the formation of under-ice melt ponds in Arctic seas. The biological characteristics of such a pond were studied in summer 1993. The chlorophyte Pyramimonas sp. (Prasinophyceae) formed a unialgal bloom with cell densities of 19.1 thousand cell per ml and a pigment concentration of 29.6 mg per cubic meter. A comparison with ice core data revealed differences in algal biomass and community structure. Physical data indicate that under-ice ponds are a common feature in the Arctic Ocean. Thus, communities within under-ice ponds, which have not been included in production estimates, may significantly contribute to the Arctic marine food web.”

I wonder if the Arizona Daily Star will, in a few days, report NASA’s “unprecedented” discovery just as the Star uncritically reported the last NASA “unprecedented” claim:Greenland “melting” and media hype.

Marine plants can flee to avoid predators, researchers say

Marine plants can flee to avoid predators, researchers say

Scientists at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography have made the first observation of a predator avoidance behavior by a species of phytoplankton, a microscopic marine plant. Susanne Menden-Deuer, associate professor of oceanography, and doctoral student Elizabeth Harvey made the unexpected observation while studying the interactions between phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-marine-predators.html#jCp

Study finds that ocean acidification is accelerated in nutrient-rich areas

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120924_oceanacidification.html

Study finds that ocean acidification is accelerated in nutrient-rich areas

Marine resources, coastal economies put at risk

September 24, 2012

Carbon dioxide released from decaying algal blooms, combined with ongoing increases in atmospheric carbon emissions, leads to increased levels of ocean acidification, and places additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, according to a new study published today.

Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or from the breakdown of organic matter, which then causes a chemical reaction to make it more acidic. Species as diverse as scallops and corals are vulnerable to ocean acidification, which can affect the growth of their shells and skeletons.

Research by NOAA's William G. Sunda and Wei-jun Cai of the University of Georgia points to the process of eutrophication - the production of excess algae from increased nutrients, such as, nitrogen and phosphorus -- as a large, often overlooked source of CO2 in coastal waters. When combined with increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, the release of CO2 from decaying organic matter is accelerating the acidification of coastal seawater.

EPA website on

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CyanoHABs)

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/nutrients/cyanohabs.cfm

Lake Savers - "We’ve eliminated the ‘boom-bust’ diatomic cycle"

Lake Savers LLC, USA have been using Nualgi for past 1 year and posted this on their website.

http://lake-savers.com/our-solution/whole-lake-technology/biological-acceleration/

Diatoms are one of the reasons life emerged from the swamp. Millions of years ago when the oceans subsided, land masses emerged, and runoff started to carry granite and silica into the oceans, a microscopic life-form emerged that scientists consider to be a fundamental building block of life itself – the diatom. 

Diatoms are microscopic food power cells (phytoplankton) that convert carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other nutrients into dissolved oxygen and oxygen rich organic compounds and phytoplankton which result in a healthy ecosystem and ultimately a thriving fish population. They play a dynamic role in nutrient conversion and regulation of ecosystems. [Read more about Diatoms]

The problem is that they are boom-and-bust in nature. When diatom population is high, nutrients are converted to fish. When diatom population is low, nitrogen that would normally be converted to dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton, and zooplankton and released as CO2 gas in the atmosphere is instead utilized by explosive weed growth and toxic blue-green algae (cyanotoxin). Diatom diminishment typically happens in mid-summer. The “bust” happens when the supply of silica, iron and other micronutrients fail. Diatoms need all these inputs.

We’ve eliminated the ‘boom-bust’ diatomic cycle.

As part of our ongoing Biological Acceleration research and technology we’re deploying a silica based micro-nutrient formulation developed for Lake Savers by Nualgi Nanotechnology that’s proven to stimulate, regulate, and sustain continual diatom growth. One year after initial treatment in one of our highly distressed urban-environment freshwater bodies we’re seeing the development of higher order complex siliceous diatom species that are indicative of extremely high water quality environments (oligotrophic).

Our results are showing a clear and rapid transformation of a eutrophic water body to an oligotrophic status. For this reason, we’ve moved our diatomic regeneration technology from emergent…to current!

Green-India Product Showcase: Nualgi

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/green-india/5tbv4tm2KPU

Green-India Product Showcase: Nualgi

A Novel Solution for Waste Water Treatment

Science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke famously said: “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Nualgi  (pronounced as new-algae) is one such solution to the problem of waste water treatment.

All you have to do is just add Nualgi powder to the water body (lake, pond, etc.), no matter how polluted, and it will get to work within minutes. You can start to see the change within a matter of hours and after a few weeks, the water will be fit for use.

The table below describes how Nualgi is helpful in different contexts. More details follow the table.

Context	Problem	Solution
Ponds, lakes, estuaries, back waters, rivers, even oceans	·         Discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies is a huge problem across India. ·         Causes formation of blue-green algaethat deplete dissolved oxygen (DO) and kill fish. ·         Pollution causes fishermen lose their livelihood and go elsewhere to find fish. ·         Reviving a large water body using conventional means requires massive amounts of energy. ·         Overfishing is another serious problem in coastal areas where fish stocks are depleted to unacceptably low levels.	·         Application of Nualgi powder in the water body causes growth of microscopic water plants that consume organic matter and release oxygen thus increasing dissolved oxygen. ·         Increase in DO level causes beneficial bacteria to bloom and foul smell, if any,stops within hours. ·         Within a few weeks, blue green algae disappears and fish and other aquatic life grows in a clean environment. ·         Nualgi needs to be applied periodicallyto maintain the DO level and fish yield.
Sewage treatment	·         Consumes scarce electricity resource that could be used by thousands of homes. ·         When electricity is unavailable diesel pumps are used causing pollution and increasing cost of treatment.	·         Nualgi application in sewage treatment plants reduces energy consumption. ·         Cost of Nualgi applied to raise DO level is less than cost of electricity consumed. ·         Nualgi can also treat sewage all by itself at places electricity is unavailable or expensive.

How does it work?

Nualgi powder contains micro nutrients on a nano silica base which triggers the growth of a particular type of phytoplankton called diatoms. Since only diatoms require silica they consume it and grow rapidly. Nualgi powder is taken in fine net bag and this is shaken in the water or the powder can be dissolved in a few litres of water and then added to water body. Nualgi spreads out into the entire lake and becomes available for consumption by the diatoms and these diatoms consume the organic wastes and produce oxygen. Increase of DO level in water facilitates the growth of aquatic species like aerobic bacteria, zooplankton, fishes etc. The diatoms are consumed by zooplanktons that in turn are food for fishes.

Is it a scientifically proven solution?

Nualgi is in use regular since 2005 and many tons have been used till date in aquaculture ponds and lakes. The contents of Nualgi as similar to those in f/2 media used in shrimp hatcheries to culture diatoms, however the use of Nano Silica is the new feature. Nano silica improves the delivery of micro nutrients to diatoms in a remarkable manner. Nano particles are available for consumption by the smallest diatoms, silica keeps the metals stable in water and it spreads out in a large water body so little mixing is necessary.

• A peer-reviewed paper  published in a scientific journal states that use of Nualgi "was found to significantly boost growth in [two diatom] species." Key finding was that Nualgi is about twice as good as conventional f/2 media.
• A recent article in Nature (India) calls Nualgi, a ready-mix solution to global warming  due to its carbon sequestration potential.
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) webpage on Nualgi Technology 

What is the dosage and how often does it need to be applied?

After Nualgi application the growth of diatoms is almost immediate - starting within minutes. Within a few hours, DO increase is measurable. Diatom bloom continues as long as the nutrient lasts.

The normal dosage is one kilogram in one surface acre of pond once a week. The dosage can be increased or decreased depending on the nutrient level, DO level, number of fish, etc. The increase in fish weight due to the consumption of the diatoms would be at least 10 kilogram. Thus Nualgi is very economical.

For sewage treatment the dosage is one kilogram per million litres of sewage. 1 kg of Nualgi causes bloom of at least 100 kilogram of Diatoms and these give at least 100 kilogram of oxygen.

What are the other applications of Nualgi apart from water bodies?

Another version of Nualgi is used as a Foliar Spray in agriculture  and horticulture. The nano silica with micro nutrients are easily absorbed by plants through the leaves. Silica improves the health of plants and improves their pest resistance. The Micronutrients prevent nutrient deficiencies.  

Can you name some of the customers ?

Karnataka Fisheries, Ashok Leyland Ltd, JSW Steels Ltd, etc., are some of the customers.

Can I become a distributor / retailer?

The advertiser would like to appoint distributors and retailers all over the world.

Whom do I contact for more information?

MV Bhaskar

Kadambari Consultants Pvt Ltd. Hyderabad. India.

Email - nualgi@gmail.com ;  Cell - 92465 08213 ; www.nualgi.com/new 

A ready-mix solution to global warming

http://www.nature.com/nindia/2012/120731/full/nindia.2012.115.html
A ready-mix solution to global warming

K. S. Jayaraman

The European Iron Fertilization Experiment (EIFEX) recently reported that dumping iron in the ocean stimulates algal blooms which capture atmospheric carbon-dioxide and deposit the carbon in deep waters when they die¹. This has come as welcome news to Thothathri Sampath Kumar, Bangalore-based inventor and founder of 'NuAlgi Nanobiotech'. 

"The most encouraging fact is the confirmation that the algal bloom that capture the carbon are dominated by diatoms," he told Nature India.

A centric diatom (above) and a star diatom (below).

Diatoms are a group of algae that grow in any sun-lit, wet place on Earth. "Because of their abundance in marine plankton, diatoms probably account for as much as 20% of global photosynthetic fixation of carbon, making them more productive than all the world's tropical rainforests," says David Mann, Principal Research Scientist at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.

The reason for Kumar's elation at the EIFEX's finding is understandable. Eight years ago he invented 'NuAlgi' which he claimed causes a copious bloom of diatoms in any type of water within 15 minutes of its addition. "NuAlgi (U.S.patent 7585898) could be an alternative to iron sulphate used in ocean fertilization experiments like EIFEX," says Kumar. Iron sulphate can cause bloom of any organism including harmful algae whereas NuAlgi triggers the growth of only diatoms and not any other algae, he says. "So there need not be any fear of producing toxic algal blooms or depletion of oxygen levels. On the contrary NuAlgi increases the level of dissolved Oxygen."
NuAlgi is a mix of all the micronutrients required by diatoms in the form of nano particles. Silica, which the diatoms require to build their outer shell, is the main constituent of NuAlgi while iron constitutes only 1%. "It is inexpensive and can be mass produced and is being used for the past seven years in many lakes and fish ponds in southern India to promote diatom blooms. It is also marketed in USA, China and Vietnam," says Mallimadugula Bhaskar, Kumar's collaborator.

NuAlgi collaborators Sampath Kumar (left) & M. Bhaskar.

While the oxygen released by the diatoms keeps the lakes clean, the diatoms are consumed by zooplanktons that in turn are food for fishes. Based on studies so far, Bhaskar estimates that when used for ocean fertilization one gram of iron in 100 grams of NuAlgi can capture at least 5000 grams of carbon which is 80% more than what was achieved with iron sulphate in EIFEX. 

Syed Naqvi, distinguished scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa is sceptical. "To say that NuAlgi will work in ocean because it does so in lakes is a misconception," he told Nature India.

However, impressed by the claims, David Karl, director of Hawaii University's Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education has taken some NuAlgi for testing. "Our scientists are currently at sea aboard Kilo Moana conducting experiments that are all relevant to the issues raised recently¹ except that our field site is the low nutrient, low chlorophyll region of the North Pacific called the North Pacific Gyre," Karl said in an email interview.

"We are conducting a series of experiments with NuAlgi to determine whether or not it can be used to select for the growth of diatoms and which species are favoured. If our initial shipboard experiments are successful we will explore the use of NuAlgi to stimulate large-scale, export events by this mechanism perhaps including an open ocean trial of this hypothesis in summer 2013 or later."

Kumar says while carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change is one of the goals, he would first like to promote NuAlgi's use to revive fresh water eutrophic lakes and the 530 aquatic "dead zones" (lacking oxygen) worldwide. The project to revive the Baltic Sea Dead Zone — the world's largest dead zone — reportedly would require around 100 pumping stations to transport oxygen deep underwater. "NuAlgi may provide an alternative to this as well as to Western Australia's $3.4 million plan for setting up pumping systems to breathe life into the dying Swan River," he says.

• References

1. Smetacek, V.et al. Deep carbon export from a Southern Ocean iron-fertilized diatom bloom. Nature 487, 313-319 doi: 10.1038/nature11229 (2012)