The dust storm accomplished something that geoengineers call "ocean fertilization." When the storm hit Sydney, it dumped an estimated three million tonnes of Australian desert dust into Sydney Harbour and the Tasman Straight. That dust brought nitrogen and phosphate to the waters, providing food to microscopic phytoplankton, whose population numbers rapidly tripled (which is what you see in the image above). And that in turn may rapidly expand the population of local fish, too. Boosting the lower levels of the food chain can easily lead to population growth at the higher rungs.

But ocean fertilization isn't just a way to help the fishing industry, and feed hungry Australians. There are some even more interesting results that come from rapidly hurling piles of dirt into the ocean - results that could slow climate change.

Ocean fertilization can trap atmospheric carbon. First, the excess algae absorb carbon dioxide; then, when the algae dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean, the carbon it has absorbed is isolated from the atmosphere for a few thousand years. Of course, the effectiveness of this is hotly disputed. An article recently published in Nature tracked a natural influx of high levels of iron into the ocean around the Crozet Islands, and the carbon uptake was 50 times lower than previously estimated. This study, as most others on the subject, focused on iron rather than nitrogen, and there is some argument that natural intake will produce different effects than deliberately dumping tonnes of the material into the ocean. Geoengineering could promote different phytoplanktons to develop. The location of the experiment also has a lot to do with what grows and how much carbon it traps.

The final effect that this explosion of algae could produce? It could help cool the planet. Certain plankton species produce dimethyl sulfide, which works its way into the atmosphere, and eventually transforms into clouds, increasing the reflectivity of the Earth, and lowering its temperature.

So, by taking tonnes of desert dirt (something Australia is in no way short of), and flushing it into the ocean, we can potentially rejuvenate flagging fish populations, trap atmospheric carbon dioxide and lower the Earth's albedo. That's a hell of a way to hack the planet. Except no-one's sure if it actually works yet, with iron or nitrogen.

Now Australian geoengineers Ian Jones and Associate Professor Rob Wheen, both of Sydney University, want to inject 2.5 tonnes of nitrogen-rich urea into a controlled area of the sea and try to replicate the effect. They claim that nourishing a 20km wide patch of water could significantly boost catch numbers for small-scale artisanal fishing industries.

The process still very controversial, and the act of massively changing the makeup of the biosphere is practically begging for algae to take over the ocean as we know it and start belching sulfurous fumes into the air. Jones is also the head of the Ocean Nourishment Corporation, a private group who are attempting to use urea to boost phytoplankton numbers, and gain carbon credits to sell, which perhaps makes him a less than unbiased figure to ask about the whole topic.

Still, the Sydney dust storms have given us the first solid evidence that ocean nourishment can affect algae blooms. And as far as geoengineering goes, ocean fertilization uses techniques and technology readily available. If the mechanisms of action are shown to be effective, Jones and Wheen's project could be rolled out easily. The research on it is already underway, and it's now a working concept. Your oceans could be massively reengineered soon, without requiring significant hardware developments.

Dust storm triggers ocean bloom [ABC Science]

In next month's issue of Climate Change, cell biologist Leonard Ornstein of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and David Rind and Igor Aleinov of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies outline their plan to plant a forest in the Sahara Desert. They propose desalinating seawater from the desert's nearby oceans, and using aquaducts and pumps to bring it inland. The idea is to plant Eucalyptus Grandis, which survives well in heat, which would be watered using drip irrigation. The trio claim the trees would lower the Sahara's temperature by up to 8°C Celsius in some areas, bring clouds to reflect the sun's rays back into space, and capture eight billion tons of carbon each year.

But the plan is not without its downsides. Aside from the $2 trillion a year price tag, the forest would also likely prevent iron-rich dust from the sands from blowing into the Atlantic Ocean, iron that nourishes marine life. And the increased moisture could bring a plague of locusts down on not just the Sahara, but the rest of Africa as well.

Forest a Desert, Cool the World [ScienceNOW via Popular Science]

Additional reporting by Alyssa Johnson.

A report in the latest issue of New Scientist discusses the growing feeling amongst climate scientists that the only way to defeat global warming is to "hack" the planet - that is, create new artificial ways to reverse the change that's taking place altogether:

Previously, the idea of tweaking the climate in this way was anathema to most scientists. Apart from the technical challenges and environmental risks, many argued that endorsing the concept might scupper international negotiations for a post-Kyoto protocol to reduce global emissions. But it's becoming clear that moves to cut global carbon emissions are too little and too late for us avoid the worst effects of climate change. "There is a worrying sense that negotiations won't lead anywhere or lead to enough," says Lenton. "We can't change the world that fast," says Peter Liss, who is scientific adviser to the UK parliamentary committee investigating geoengineering. Extraordinary measures may now be the only way of saving vulnerable ecosystems such as Arctic sea ice.

But not without risk; not only would such efforts be untested on such a scale necessary to be effective in this aim, but the political implications may be even greater:

If a sunshade triggered drought elsewhere, this could be interpreted as "hostile use" of weather modification, in which case the action would fall foul of the UN Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD)... "Almost everyone agrees that some form of international regulation and authorisation is necessary," says John Shepherd, a deputy director of the UK Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and chair of the Royal Society working group investigating geoengineering. But as for how, "we just don't know", he says.

If this were a movie, the next scene would be our hero striding into the UN to give a stirring speech about the need for countries to put aside their differences (or an alien squid may appear and destroy Manhattan, of course), but sadly real life offers less handy solutions; the report closes with the prospect that the only viable geoengineering in our future may be that which we have to do ourselves.

Hacking the planet: The only climate solution left? [New Scientist]

Created by Greek artist Danae Stratou and the DAST art team in the mid-1990s, this earthwork art is called "Desert Breath." It covers 100,000 square meters in the Egyptian desert near the Red Sea, and took several years to create. At its center was a fairly deep pool of water, and the whole project was designed to slowly erode over time. Which is exactly what's happened

This is a view of the project via a satellite photo taken shortly after it was created.

And this is what it looks like today. It is eroding beautifully.

For more information, and more photos, check out Stratou's gallery.

According to Inhabitat:

Salinity gradient solar ponds, water purification tanks, and water filtering processes will all be integrated into the designated “water islands” of the chain. The other two island designs will be for tourists and solar energy production, providing self sufficient power as well as creating revenue.

Here is a more detailed schematic:

The design was shortlisted for Architectural Association’s Environmental Tectonics 2007 competition because the design attempts to solve political and cultural issues using design techniques.

Innovative Watertechture in the Dead Sea [via Inhabitat]

Here is a view inside one of the recently-completed greenhouses.

Says the UK Guardian:

Growing hydroponically, in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil, allows the suspension of the crops at waist height rather than ground level, for ease of picking . . . The site's developers say they have taken steps to ensure the environmental impact, considering the scale of the operation, will be minimised. The huge reservoirs, which will capture rainwater and recycle the water in which the crops grow, will allow the site to be self-sufficient from May to September, draining nothing from the local utilities. The 32MW generated by the combined heat and power system, uploaded to the National Grid, will offset significant costs from the site, while some of the CO2 produced by the burning gas will used to enrich the glasshouse atmosphere.

Here's the layout.

It's like the first domed environment, where residents are creating their own (warmer) atmosphere in order to make food production possible. Locals estimate that doming the land has created over 500 jobs, and will make farming in the region far more lucrative. After all, tomatoes and other vegetables can be harvested year round.

The giant greenhouse complex isn't finished yet, but UK residents will be able to buy Thanet Earth veggies starting in October of this year.

Welcome to Thanet Earth [UK Guardian via Jaunted]

Scientists got the idea for injecting sulfate particles into the atmosphere from watching massive volcanoes blow their top. When big boomers like Mount St. Helens or Pinatubo go, they throw huge plumes of sulfur-rich gunk into the atmosphere, and climate around the globe can cool significantly for up to a few years. The ozone layer also thins significantly.

Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and her colleagues calculated that if humans started artificially pumping two different sizes of sulfate molecules into the atmosphere, we could lose as much as 3/4 of the ozone layer:

The study found that injections of small particles, over the next 20 years, could reduce the ozone layer by 100 to 230 Dobson Units. This would represent a significant loss of ozone because the average thickness of the ozone layer in the Northern Hemisphere is 300 to 450 Dobson Units. (A Dobson Unit is equivalent to the number of ozone molecules that would create a layer 0.01 millimeters thick under conditions at Earth's surface).

With large particles, the Arctic loss would range from 70 to 150 Dobson Units. In each case, the larger figure is correlated with colder winters.

The ozone loss would drop in the later part of the century to about 60 to 150 Dobson Units, depending on the size of the sulfates and the severity of winters.

In the Antarctic, most of the ozone is already depleted and the sulfate injections would not significantly reduce the thickness of the ozone layer. Instead, they would significantly delay the recovery of the ozone hole.

The authors caution that the actual impacts on ozone could be somewhat different than estimated if atmospheric changes led to unusually warm or cold polar winters. They also warn that a geoengineering project could lead to even more severe ozone loss if a major volcanic eruption took place at the same time.

Like a strange new race of Celtic gods, London's wealthiest residents, "digging dozens of feet underground," the Times reported, were busy constructing a literally subsurface world for themselves in the ancient waterproof clay of southern England.

As the Times explained, London's "super-rich," including oil barons, Indian steel tycoons, and the odd American hedge fund manager, have been "seeking permission to excavate under the garden... making space for a three-story garage with car stacker, a swimming pool, a gym and a private home cinema." At least one example of this bizarre new form of subterranean architectural eccentricity even includes a "walk-in shower with waterproof television screens and glass walls that turn opaque with the press of a button."

While doing this, of course, there's still a house to consider, sitting up there on the earth's surface - so, in an effort to prevent cave-ins, the "original house" has been "propped up on giant steel pillars." Digging machines and men in helmets, like a painting by Fernand Léger, grind away at the planet beneath.

This spelunking upper class of central London - surely something new in human history? - are even now "engaged in a multimillion-pound game of one-upmanship," the Times suggested, "as they vie with each other to dig ever bigger, wider and deeper extensions."

So I'd like to propose a slightly more interesting addiction for investor class Brits, hip-hop moguls, and easy-money Hollywood types who think cocaine is still a thrill and Courvoisier worth pursuing: Give up your alcoholism and your sports cars and your use of bad drugs from the 1980s - and start digging show caves.

Dig vast, artificial caverns that extend for miles beneath the city.

Show your friends.

"I'd like to introduce you to Komatsu earth-moving equipment," I'd say, sitting across the table from Robert Downey Jr. I'd show him a sales brochure. "For the price of one custom Ferrari, you could buy half a dozen of these things - and rip away."

Buy land outside Moab. Buy a thousand mountain acres in Colorado. Buy an estate house somewhere deep in London - and tear the basement up. Go down. Go under. Stay up all night in a haze of klieg lights, dust, and diesel fumes, drilling into the planet.

Rats will flee from you. Water mains will burst.

Now start a few side tunnels and install nice couches.

Because who cares? You're the world's first interesting celebrity. You build tunnels beneath rowhouses and drink liquid Vitamin D.

And forget your neighbors. Slash would have thrown TVs out the window and played his guitar too loud - how exciting! So you're just playing with earth-moving machines at 3am, building artificial show caves beneath the city streets. You've got dredging equipment. Pulverizers.

You could be up, listening to the irritating squeal of a mobile crusher, shredding concrete four floors below ground.

You wake up to hear that Keith Richards has been arrested - and not because he's wrecked a Rolls Royce or bought heroin, but because he's tunneled all the way to France.

Or Colin Farrell gives up sex to construct a network of manmade caverns beneath his house in outer Dublin. That's not an earthquake - it's Colin Farrell.

He's drilling again.

Colin Farrell Addicted to Mining, the newspapers report.

I'm reminded of Seymour Cray, founder of Cray supercomputers, who apparently found "his inspiration" somewhere "deep in a dirt tunnel beneath his Wisconsin home." Having eventually tunneled out toward the nearby woods, his underground adventure wasn't always free from surface incidents: "When a tree fell through the top of the tunnel several years ago," Time magazine reported in 1988, "Cray used the opening to install a periscope-equipped lookout."

Of course, Seymour Cray was no by means the first person to relieve a bit of stress through home tunneling.

Two years ago, the excellent blog Modern Mechanix looked at a man named Dr. H.G. Dyar, who had "one of the oddest hobbies in the world": he had "found health and recreation in digging an amazing series of tunnels beneath his Washington home."

Almost anti-climactically, we learn that "the idea first came to Dyar when he sought to make an underground entrance to his furnace cellar" - but, as with all things worthwhile, anywhere, he simply kept going. "If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise," William Blake once wrote - and Blake wasn't even a tunneler.

Finally, there was William Lyttle, the so-called Mole Man of Hackney. Lyttle was an east London eccentric who lived in a dilapidated house on Mortimer Road. "But this is no ordinary house," the Guardian reported in August 2006.

Quoting at great length, because I love this story:

In any case, how much more interesting would the world be if, say, Eliot Spitzer's recent and mysterious financial transactions had not been directed toward sex - it's easy enough to get that, Mr. Spitzer - but toward weird and illegal machines that caused movement in the ground outside his Albany mansion? Police surveyors armed with ground-penetrating radar swarm the place - and discover several miles' worth of artificial caves in a warren of entrances and exits throughout the city. Eliot Spitzer did this, the gruff, benchpress-ready men quietly say. We've got to stop him.

But I've made my point.

What I'd like to see, at some point before I die, is a series of show caves, free and open to the public, that have been excavated and paid for by the film and music revenues of global superstars.

All the tunnels have been supervised by celebrities, who are addicted to digging. Shia LaBoeuf has a tunnel. Shakira has several. Even Bob Dole has one - but he's forgotten how to use it.

You book a flight to Hollywood, then, and you buy a Star Map - but within three hours you find yourself one hundred and sixty seven feet below ground in the most spectacular cave you've ever seen. Its stalactites have been precision-cut by CNC-milling machines, the walls shaped by computer-programmable routers. There is a vague smell of sawdust in the air, and you notice several wood boards holding up some parts of the walls. There are vaults visible in the distance, and a slight groaning sound.

Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for the New York Times, was there last week - and he hated the place.

Rumor has it, though, that a vast, echoless complex exists beneath Atlanta, dug by Ludacris. Its dimensions are too shocking to believe. He hangs out down there with Umberto Eco, discussing the Hollow Earth Theory and practicing rhymes.

Whenever another royalty check comes through, he digs deeper.

(Note: The final two images show the Excelsior Tunnel, and were taken by the always impressive Nick Catford of Subterranea Britannica; all rights, copyrights, and otherwise remain with him. The opening thumbnail is a South American ice cave, shot by Flickr user Tom Holub)

During the several decades of building the 48 mile canal in the early twentieth century, 27,500 workers died. Today, oil tankers like this one travel through several locks full of water to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic (or vice versa). Here's another tanker, below. It's moving through a lock very near the area that is being widened. I love the gigantic "no smoking" sign. Below you can see one of the "trains" that helps pull boats through the locks. Here's a view from above of the area that's being widened. And here is Panama City, just a few kilometers from the Canal, which is about to start building a bunch of skyscrapers that will be completed in 2009 and 2010 around the same time as the canal project. Real estate speculators believe the widening of the canal will lead to more business. Images via Getty.

She said:

For cold clouds below zero degrees, we use a coolant made from liquid nitrogen to increase the number of droplets while decreasing their mean size. As a result, the smaller droplets are less likely to fall and precipitation can be reduced. For clouds above zero degrees we use the seeding agent silver iodide to accelerate the droplets' collision and coalescence, producing a downdraft which suppresses the formation of clouds.

China 'will stop the rain' [News.com via Slashdot]

"It's only a matter of time before the world's militaries learn to use the Earth itself as a weapon," Cascio writes. He speculates about how climate change and global warming could also be weaponized:

The offensive use of geoengineering could take a variety of forms. Overproductive algae blooms can actually sterilize large stretches of ocean over time, effectively destroying fisheries and local ecosystems. Sulfur dioxide carries health risks when it cycles out of the stratosphere. One proposal would pull cooler water from the deep oceans to the surface in an explicit attempt to shift the trajectories of hurricanes. Some actors might even deploy counter-geoengineering projects to slow or alter the effects of other efforts.

Battlefield Earth [Foreign Policy]