Understanding the Ecosystem

By Keith Heyde

One of the main implications of energy science is the effects it has on the ecosystem around us. Often times, we are told that ‘more energy’ has a rather direct negative impact on the environment. This is propagated by research on carbon emissions, greenhouse gasses, etc. etc. You’ve heard the story a thousand times.

Now, although I am not one to argue with the sheer physics behind greenhouse gas theories, I do think that the story is a bit more complex. The earth is an amazingly intricate system of both living, biological systems, and inorganic, chemical interactions. When we couple these effects, sometimes what one would consider an ‘obvious’ conclusion becomes far more intricate.

Take, for instance, the recent information published on arctic algae blooms. In a recent article issued by CNN, there were reports, in the Chukchi Sea, of an algae bloom over 100 km long. For more information on the algae bloom, check out: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/10/world/phytoplankton-mega-bloom-eco-solutions/index.html?hpt=hp_c1.

What does this have to do with global warming and energy? Well, the algae bloom was quoted as being akin to “…finding the Amazon rainforest in the middle of the Mojave desert.” Not only was the event a biological abnormality, but it was an unusual event on such a colossal scale, that it has wide reaching, and exceptional implications.

The algal bloom was most likely caused by a combination of arctic ice runoff coupled with higher ambient temperatures in the area of the Chukchi Sea. This means that the incredibly blossoming of life occurred, if anthropomorphic theorists are correct, as a repercussion of artificially enhanced temperatures.

However, by their very, the algae blooms are a natural carbon sink. In order to grow, the algae needs to inject carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. In fact, the majority of the carbon dioxide thought to be metabolized on earth is now thought to be processed by aquatic algae species. Therefore, these algae blooms could be considered a natural buffering for our human enhanced CO2 levels in the atmosphere. It is almost like earth’s protection system. The algae itself is almost like a correction mechanism, stopping the earth’s ecosystem (and temperatures) from spinning wildly out of control.

What am I saying? Is the earth some type of living organism intertwined and connected at every level? Not exactly. Do not worry, I am not a Gaia theorist at the core. However, the amazing corrective properties of most ecosystems around earth should give us an indication about the overall resilience of the planet. The corrective capacities inherent in both our chemical and biological earth are breathtaking.

So, to all of the simple greenhouse advocates who think they have it all figured out, I would say this: do not leap before you look. The earth is a bit more complicated than you may have thought.