Bass Strait Trial

Discussions are under way for a proposed trial in the Bass Strait off the South East Australian coast. For further details see the Australian Iron Salt Aerosol website.

Objectives

Atmosphere

  1. Determine level of Iron Salt Aerosol dispersion needed to provide sufficient immediate cooling by marine cloud brightening and ocean brightening.
  2. Determine required flue/burner/nebulizer design for lifting Iron Salt Aerosol precursors up to 1km above the ground/ocean surface.
  3. Confirm expected effect of tropospheric Iron Salt Aerosol strengthening of the stratospheric ozone layer.

Ocean – verify unexpected concerns

  1. Research potential depletion of downstream macronutrients compromising ecosystems downstream. By harvesting nitrates and phosphates and increasing drawdown, will macronutrients be starved downstream?
  2. Verify that Iron Salt Aerosol will not induce jellyfish and toxic blooms.

 

Proposed Field experiments

To determine objectives the following tests must establish quantitative results. Field experiments will need to be carried out for appropriate durations (>3 months) at a stationary Iron Salt Aerosol precursor emission location. Ideally measurements should be taken using different emission methods and from different heights, below and outside the plume. Accordingly, some tests will take longer than others. Measurements are to include:

Within the atmosphere (satellite-assisted measurements)

  1. Iron Salt Aerosol particle density within the plume
  2. Cloud brightening (cloud albedo)
  3. Cloud life time (cloud albedo)
  4. Precipitation-induced Iron Salt Aerosol out-wash
  5. Ocean brightening by Iron Salt Aerosol out-wash (ocean albedo)
  6. Ocean brightening by Iron Salt Aerosol subsidence without precipitation.
  7. Temperature profiles in the air within, below and outside the Aerosol plume
  8. Changes of the chemical air parameters (humidity, pH, halogen methane, DMS, SO2, sulphate, nitrate, ammonium, sodium, silicon (dust), HCl, CH4, VOC, O3, CO, CO2, Fe).

In the ocean

  1. Ocean litter mass distribution in the deep ocean
  2. Toxic excretions from phytoplankton species
  3. Jellyfish counts
  4. Differences within the food chain in the ocean
  5. Changes of the ocean sediment surface composition
  6. Temperature profiles of the ocean surface at different depths.
  7. Phytoplankton mass distribution.
  8. Redox potential
  9. Oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, nitrous oxide, ammonium, and humic acids content in the deep ocean.
  10. Changes of chemical ocean surface parameters (pH, alkalinity, hydrogen carbonate, CO2, Si, P, N, Fe, and further micronutrients) within the ocean surface water, within the phytoplankton substance (only nutrient content) and within the phytoplankton predator’s substance (only nutrient content) and in the deep ocean.

Computer modelling

  1. Modelling of height of ejection of Iron Salt Aerosol plume to be effective
  2. Modelling of different ejection heights of the Iron Salt Aerosol plume and of different heat content and volumes, from different emission heights
  3. Modelling of the behaviour of Iron Salt Aerosol particles in the troposphere