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Algae, photosynthesis and HCO3 and CO3 ions.
In seawater, most of the dissolved carbon dioxide is in the form of
the bicarbonate ion, rather than in the form of carbonate ion or dissolved gas. I'm trying to estimate the growth rate of a range of algae as a function of dissolved CO2. Can algal photosynthesis use the HCO3- ion directly? What about the CO3-- ion? The basic biology books I've looked up only mention CO2, not the dissolved ionic species, but it occurred to me that if algae had to rely on CO2 gas then they'd starve to death. |
#2
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Algae, photosynthesis and HCO3 and CO3 ions.
On Thu, 2 Oct 2008 18:28:15 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote: In seawater, most of the dissolved carbon dioxide is in the form of the bicarbonate ion, rather than in the form of carbonate ion or dissolved gas. I'm trying to estimate the growth rate of a range of algae as a function of dissolved CO2. Can algal photosynthesis use the HCO3- ion directly? What about the CO3-- ion? The basic biology books I've looked up only mention CO2, not the dissolved ionic species, but it occurred to me that if algae had to rely on CO2 gas then they'd starve to death. With the great number of algal species it would be surprising if some hadn't developed a way to use the bicarbonate ion. Some higher plants do. If you are interested in pursuing this a good place to start would be with the book by Diana Walstad, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium." It is freshwater oriented, but has a great number of references which could be followed. |
#3
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Algae, photosynthesis and HCO3 and CO3 ions.
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#4
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Algae, photosynthesis and HCO3 and CO3 ions.
On Oct 3, 1:13*pm, wrote:
In article , wrote: In seawater, most of the dissolved carbon dioxide is in the form of the bicarbonate ion, rather than in the form of carbonate ion or dissolved gas. I'm trying to estimate the growth rate of a range of algae as a function of dissolved CO2. Can algal photosynthesis use the HCO3- ion directly? What about the CO3-- ion? The basic biology books I've looked up only mention CO2, not the dissolved ionic species, but it occurred to me that if algae had to rely on CO2 gas then they'd starve to death. Note that there's an equilibrium in water between carbonate, bicarbonate and carbon dioxide, so even if the plants have to 'grab' the CO2 as it forms, they can get it even at seawater pH where it's in very low concentration. *But since CO2 immediately forms carbonic acid ('hydrogen bicarbonate') in water, I suspect that even land plants actually use it in bicarbonate form. I don't know what the growth-limiting factor is in marine algae in nature, but IIRC nitrogen is a more important factor than carbon. * In fresh water, explosive growth of algae is often a sign of urban or agricultural pollution (e.g. sewage, manure or fertilizer run off) providing nitrogen. I would reccomend that you contact the University of Galway Ireland where there is extensive research going on with salt water algae |
#5
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Algae, photosynthesis and HCO3 and CO3 ions.
On Oct 3, 11:28*am, "
wrote: In seawater, most of the dissolved carbon dioxide is in the form of the bicarbonate ion, rather than in the form of carbonate ion or dissolved gas. I'm trying to estimate the growth rate of a range of algae as a function of dissolved CO2. Can algal photosynthesis use the HCO3- ion directly? What about the CO3-- ion? The basic biology books I've looked up only mention CO2, not the dissolved ionic species, but it occurred to me that if algae had to rely on CO2 gas then they'd starve to death. clearly they are green and use carbon to grow so I assume they take if from the air , I see millions of tons grow on lake eyre in south australia , all eaten by brine shrimp , who are eaten by fish, who are eaten by thousands of pelicans who then fly away with millions of kg of pelican meat ,= carbon sink ?? Iv studied the growth of algae in the field for many years , but have nil idea of what happens in the atomic level Lake Eyre in South Australia and the mound springs nearby and the gulf saint vincent have amazing natural areas if anybody is interested in algae research , clearly this subject is going to attract more attention now they have seen the links between carbon and algae My interest started by noticing the extra growth seen in camels drinking from certain metal water troughs that was noticed many years ago The Iron and algae link is well established , but not well appreciated YET , the huge production potential is mind boggling , I myself see algae as camel feed , grown on sea water , and then using camel fat as a fuel ,like whale oil was in the past , in remote areas it is practicle and cost effective now as a converter of algae into fuel using camels ,in remote areas with very little effort you can produce all the oil you need for free , i even ran my fridge cooking lights and water heater on camel oil/fat instead of kero or gas Once you start doing the field tests it wont take long to convince you that iron fertilization and algae are the only area to be IMHO in regard to carbon storage there is nothing else gets close an interesting recent article i read 'Geo-engineering' might save planet: scientist Published Monday September 29th, 2008 Global Warming Fertilizing oceans to grow plankton could remove a gigatonne of carbon per year, lecturer believes Nothing, at this stage, will save the Greenland ice cap from melting, raising oceans several feet, says Victor Shahed Smetacek. Only a massive feat of "geo-engineering" can save the Antarctic ice cap from doing the same, the professor of bio-oceanography at the University of Bremen, Germany, said in an interview from Halifax. Humanity, led by the United Nations, must remove huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the air over the next century, he will argue in an address at Mount Allison University this week. Smetacek, born in India of an Indian mother and German father, attended the conference in Halifax this month of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. A talk on rising oceans might interest an audience at a university in Sackville, on the Tantramar marsh. Today, he will speak as part of the President's Speakers Series on Climate Change and Global Citizenship. On Tuesday he will launch the vice-president's seminar series Evolution: 150 Years of Darwin with a lecture, "Understanding plankton evolution in the framework of the arms race." Phytoplankton, microscopic organisms, might save humanity, he argues. Smetacek quite seriously proposes to fertilize vast areas of the southern oceans deficient in iron to promote plankton to absorb carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthetic uptake. Skeletons of dead plankton compose a large part of the sludge at the bottom of deep oceans. So, scientists must figure out how to promote plankton that remove carbon from the air, then take it to the bottom when they die. We might remove a gigatonne - one trillion kilograms - of carbon from the air each year, Smetacek says. Removing carbon at this rate might save the south polar ice cap if other efforts continue to stop adding more carbon, he said. Depositing a whole gigatonne of carbon at the bottom of the sea might sound like an effort worthy of Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician and engineer who said that he could move the Earth if he had a place to stand with his pry bar. However, it would take only five to 10 ocean-going ships, possibly tankers or ore carriers, to fertilize the oceans each year with iron sulphate, a waste product from smelting titanium and iron, he said. http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast....article/430506 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a far cheaper method of simply adding used waste" tin" [ iron ] food cans to the oceans, near the coast ,will achieve exactly the same carbon storage as iron sulphate in the deep oceans once the expert discover the oceans are all connected and so is the air , it matters not where you add the iron , except where other pollutants are already present algae blooms dont happen as the tins rust slowly and algae is eaten as it grows by krill and other phytoplankton adding waste tin cans to the ocean will cure global warming, and increase fish stocks dramatically, for almost nothing , , by replacing iron we no longer let reach the seas because of increased irrigation , once the experts are forced to get off the gravy train and ask those who have already proven it works anybody can test it out for little cost , simply add a ton of old tin cans in a wire cage to the sea and watch it for a few months and you too will know how to cure global warming for free it is that simple , cage them up or scattered makes little difference , the krill will eat the rapidly growing algae and the fish will eat the krill , we eat the fish , and remove carbon for free old tin cans will cure global warming for free, in ten years, once they try everything else first kangarooistan |
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