英國兩位科學家想出了一個"奇特"的方法來對付氣候變化問題。
他們的想法類似中醫的方法，就是幫助身體"自療"。
這是牛津大學格林學院（Green College, Oxford）的詹姆斯•洛夫洛克教授（Prof James Lovelock）和倫敦科學博物館（Science Museum）館長克裡斯•拉普利（Chris Rapley）在《自然》雜誌（Nature）撰文提出的挽救地球的方法。
浮遊生物能吸收和鎖住二氧化碳
他們認為，若能把海底養料豐富的海水帶到海面，就能為海面的綠藻和浮遊生物造就良好的生長環境，海面上的綠藻和浮遊生物能大量吸收空氣中的溫室氣體（二氧化碳），待綠藻和浮遊生物死後，他們的已經吸收了二氧化碳的身體將會下沉到海底，把二氧化碳鎖在海底，從而為大氣清除溫室氣體。
但是，如何把密度較大的寒冷海底海水帶到海面上呢？
洛夫洛克提出了奇特的構想
他們建議在海洋裡直立設置大量直徑10米、深100米到200米的大管子，利用海潮的力量，把海底的海水通過管子送上海面，順帶把海地的磷和氮等養分帶到海面。在管子底部附近設有單向閥門防止海水往下回流。
不過，他們也提出了這個做法所帶來的問題，例如必須考慮海洋酸化的問題。還有就是在工程和經濟層面的考慮。
這個龐大的地球工程如果要全面實施，將要在全球布置這些大管子，估計需要數以百萬計的管子。
不過，這兩位科學家的概念受到了其他科學家的批評，擔心這個做法可能破壞海洋的生態系統。
可是，提出新理論的兩位學者說，要從大氣清除500兆噸二氧化碳不是目前人類科技所能做到的。如果人類不能"為地球療傷"，就可能要幫助地球"自療"。
目前，美國一家公司Atmocean已經在進行他們自己的類似計劃。
海底管子構思圖
原始出處:
Nature 449, 403 (27 September 2007) | doi:10.1038/449403a; Published online 26 September 2007
James E. Lovelock1 & Chris G. Rapley2
We propose a way to stimulate the Earth's capacity to cure itself, as an emergency treatment for the pathology of global warming.
Measurements of the climate system show that the Earth is fast becoming a hotter planet than anything yet experienced by humans. Processes that would normally regulate climate are being driven to amplify warming. Such feedbacks, as well as the inertia of the Earth system — and that of our response — make it doubtful that any of the well-intentioned technical or social schemes for carbon dieting will restore the status quo. What is needed is a fundamental cure.
The oceans, which cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, are a promising place to seek a regulating influence. One approach would be to use free-floating or tethered vertical pipes to increase the mixing of nutrient-rich waters below the thermocline with the relatively barren waters at the ocean surface. (We acknowledge advice from Armand Neukermans on engineering aspects of the pipes.) Water pumped up pipes — say, 100 to 200 metres long, 10 metres in diameter and with a one-way flap valve at the lower end for pumping by wave movement — would fertilize algae in the surface waters and encourage them to bloom. This would pump down carbon dioxide and produce dimethyl sulphide, the precursor of nuclei that form sunlight-reflecting clouds.
Such an approach may fail, perhaps on engineering or economic grounds. And the impact on ocean acidification will need to be taken into account.
But the stakes are so high that we put forward the general concept of using the Earth system's own energy for amelioration. The removal of 500 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the air by human endeavour is beyond our current technological capability. If we can't 'heal the planet' directly, we may be able to help the planet heal itself.
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