Realistic Alternatives to Dust: What Else Could Feed a Plankton Bloom? The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are InWhat efficiencies make a realistic food chain?Could life survive on a diet of dust?Could hydroponic farms reasonably feed 100 billion people?How realistic could creating fake bruises be?What alternatives for fire can an aquatic sentient species use?What evolved weapons could be used against graphene skin?What animal could be used to make imitation human meat?What could possibly replace beer?In a single-continent world, what could cause hydrothermal vents?What Else Could Create Jeffrey Linn's Coastlines BESIDES The Influence of Ice?

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Realistic Alternatives to Dust: What Else Could Feed a Plankton Bloom?



The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are InWhat efficiencies make a realistic food chain?Could life survive on a diet of dust?Could hydroponic farms reasonably feed 100 billion people?How realistic could creating fake bruises be?What alternatives for fire can an aquatic sentient species use?What evolved weapons could be used against graphene skin?What animal could be used to make imitation human meat?What could possibly replace beer?In a single-continent world, what could cause hydrothermal vents?What Else Could Create Jeffrey Linn's Coastlines BESIDES The Influence of Ice?










3












$begingroup$


Phytoplankton are not to be taken for granted. Not only do they form the core of marine food webs around the world, they also release half of the world's oxygen. But phytoplankton, being plant-like organisms, need nutrients for their blooms to survive and thrive into populations large enough to be visible from space. For many, the origins of those nutrients come from one of the least likely sources: desert dust storms swept up from far away by deserts. As the dust settles down to the oceans, they drop down enough nutrients to create these vast blooms on an annual basis.



But what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



You could say that volcanic ash could be the answer, but there's a problem--unlike dust storms, volcanoes don't erupt at once or regularly. Two eruptions from one same volcano could be years or even decades apart, and that sort of duration gap won't do for plankton blooms. So what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



EDIT--NO manmade processes! Everyting MUST be natural!










share|improve this question











$endgroup$
















    3












    $begingroup$


    Phytoplankton are not to be taken for granted. Not only do they form the core of marine food webs around the world, they also release half of the world's oxygen. But phytoplankton, being plant-like organisms, need nutrients for their blooms to survive and thrive into populations large enough to be visible from space. For many, the origins of those nutrients come from one of the least likely sources: desert dust storms swept up from far away by deserts. As the dust settles down to the oceans, they drop down enough nutrients to create these vast blooms on an annual basis.



    But what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



    You could say that volcanic ash could be the answer, but there's a problem--unlike dust storms, volcanoes don't erupt at once or regularly. Two eruptions from one same volcano could be years or even decades apart, and that sort of duration gap won't do for plankton blooms. So what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



    EDIT--NO manmade processes! Everyting MUST be natural!










    share|improve this question











    $endgroup$














      3












      3








      3





      $begingroup$


      Phytoplankton are not to be taken for granted. Not only do they form the core of marine food webs around the world, they also release half of the world's oxygen. But phytoplankton, being plant-like organisms, need nutrients for their blooms to survive and thrive into populations large enough to be visible from space. For many, the origins of those nutrients come from one of the least likely sources: desert dust storms swept up from far away by deserts. As the dust settles down to the oceans, they drop down enough nutrients to create these vast blooms on an annual basis.



      But what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



      You could say that volcanic ash could be the answer, but there's a problem--unlike dust storms, volcanoes don't erupt at once or regularly. Two eruptions from one same volcano could be years or even decades apart, and that sort of duration gap won't do for plankton blooms. So what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



      EDIT--NO manmade processes! Everyting MUST be natural!










      share|improve this question











      $endgroup$




      Phytoplankton are not to be taken for granted. Not only do they form the core of marine food webs around the world, they also release half of the world's oxygen. But phytoplankton, being plant-like organisms, need nutrients for their blooms to survive and thrive into populations large enough to be visible from space. For many, the origins of those nutrients come from one of the least likely sources: desert dust storms swept up from far away by deserts. As the dust settles down to the oceans, they drop down enough nutrients to create these vast blooms on an annual basis.



      But what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



      You could say that volcanic ash could be the answer, but there's a problem--unlike dust storms, volcanoes don't erupt at once or regularly. Two eruptions from one same volcano could be years or even decades apart, and that sort of duration gap won't do for plankton blooms. So what else could feed a plankton bloom on a global scale and an annual basis?



      EDIT--NO manmade processes! Everyting MUST be natural!







      reality-check food ocean ecology






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 5 mins ago







      JohnWDailey

















      asked 3 hours ago









      JohnWDaileyJohnWDailey

      2,7462785




      2,7462785




















          3 Answers
          3






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          4












          $begingroup$

          Rivers.



          river plume



          https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1257/mississippi-river-sediment-plume



          Depicted: the Mississippi dumping its load of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. River flow is cyclical in most places, with high flow during rainy season or spring melt and low flow during dry season / winter or summer. During high flow, nutrients move from the land to the river and on to the sea. With the advent of synthetic fertilizer this can be too much of a good thing - so much nitrogen and phosphorus that they produce massive blooms, that then die.




          Icebergs.



          Icebergs generation is periodic, both intrayear and over longer periods.



          iceberg frequency
          https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/iceberg-frequency/



          Icebergs that have scraped along the land can ferry nutrients out to sea, releasing them slowly as the ice melts.



          green iceberg



          https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mystery-green-icebergs.html




          The green icebergs have been a curiosity to scientists for decades,
          but now glaciologists report in a new study that they suspect iron
          oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some
          icebergs green... Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton,
          microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. But iron
          is scarce in many areas of the ocean.



          If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green
          icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the
          open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the
          organisms that support nearly all marine life.







          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$




















            3












            $begingroup$

            Eventually, phytoplankton don't really feed on dust, but on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron(Fe), and the various other nutrients plants need, that may compose it. But if a desert hold such nutrients, it will not stay a desert for long.



            An example of a yearly massive bloom could be a mass migration of ground animal, on shore, for reproductive purpose (a bit like toad, that need water even if they are most the time ground animal). They will stay on the shore for some weeks, defecating and urinating, and releasing a massive dose of nitrates, phosphate and so on...



            Second example, industrial activity, mainly agriculture, may lead to algae bloom (like in Brittany, France, with the famous green and smelly algae). And since plants grow on yearly cycle, fertilizer are used on a yearly basis






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$












            • $begingroup$
              Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
              $endgroup$
              – JohnWDailey
              4 mins ago


















            3












            $begingroup$

            Up-welling. Nutrients tend to sink to the bottom, or to deep water where not enough light reaches to keep photosynthetic life forms thriving. If there is some mechanism to vigorously return deep water to the surface then it can bring the nutrients with it.



            Up-welling might well be a seasonal thing. For example, currents could flow in one direction half the year when the snow melts in this hemisphere and builds up in the other. Then in the other direction for the other half of the year. This could produce a seasonal stirring of the deeper ocean layers.



            Up-welling could be driven by temperature differences produced by geological heating that does not rise to the level of volcanoes. Water is at its highest density at close to 1.5°C. So if you have something that warms the depths it will bring the deep water back to the surface. This probably isn't seasonal.



            In exotic places with exotic tides, that might do it. If a large moon had an exceedingly eccentric orbit, you could have extreme tides for the portion of the moon's orbit when it was closest, then far weaker tides the rest of the time.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            $endgroup$













              Your Answer





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              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes








              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes









              active

              oldest

              votes






              active

              oldest

              votes









              4












              $begingroup$

              Rivers.



              river plume



              https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1257/mississippi-river-sediment-plume



              Depicted: the Mississippi dumping its load of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. River flow is cyclical in most places, with high flow during rainy season or spring melt and low flow during dry season / winter or summer. During high flow, nutrients move from the land to the river and on to the sea. With the advent of synthetic fertilizer this can be too much of a good thing - so much nitrogen and phosphorus that they produce massive blooms, that then die.




              Icebergs.



              Icebergs generation is periodic, both intrayear and over longer periods.



              iceberg frequency
              https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/iceberg-frequency/



              Icebergs that have scraped along the land can ferry nutrients out to sea, releasing them slowly as the ice melts.



              green iceberg



              https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mystery-green-icebergs.html




              The green icebergs have been a curiosity to scientists for decades,
              but now glaciologists report in a new study that they suspect iron
              oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some
              icebergs green... Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton,
              microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. But iron
              is scarce in many areas of the ocean.



              If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green
              icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the
              open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the
              organisms that support nearly all marine life.







              share|improve this answer











              $endgroup$

















                4












                $begingroup$

                Rivers.



                river plume



                https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1257/mississippi-river-sediment-plume



                Depicted: the Mississippi dumping its load of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. River flow is cyclical in most places, with high flow during rainy season or spring melt and low flow during dry season / winter or summer. During high flow, nutrients move from the land to the river and on to the sea. With the advent of synthetic fertilizer this can be too much of a good thing - so much nitrogen and phosphorus that they produce massive blooms, that then die.




                Icebergs.



                Icebergs generation is periodic, both intrayear and over longer periods.



                iceberg frequency
                https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/iceberg-frequency/



                Icebergs that have scraped along the land can ferry nutrients out to sea, releasing them slowly as the ice melts.



                green iceberg



                https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mystery-green-icebergs.html




                The green icebergs have been a curiosity to scientists for decades,
                but now glaciologists report in a new study that they suspect iron
                oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some
                icebergs green... Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton,
                microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. But iron
                is scarce in many areas of the ocean.



                If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green
                icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the
                open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the
                organisms that support nearly all marine life.







                share|improve this answer











                $endgroup$















                  4












                  4








                  4





                  $begingroup$

                  Rivers.



                  river plume



                  https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1257/mississippi-river-sediment-plume



                  Depicted: the Mississippi dumping its load of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. River flow is cyclical in most places, with high flow during rainy season or spring melt and low flow during dry season / winter or summer. During high flow, nutrients move from the land to the river and on to the sea. With the advent of synthetic fertilizer this can be too much of a good thing - so much nitrogen and phosphorus that they produce massive blooms, that then die.




                  Icebergs.



                  Icebergs generation is periodic, both intrayear and over longer periods.



                  iceberg frequency
                  https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/iceberg-frequency/



                  Icebergs that have scraped along the land can ferry nutrients out to sea, releasing them slowly as the ice melts.



                  green iceberg



                  https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mystery-green-icebergs.html




                  The green icebergs have been a curiosity to scientists for decades,
                  but now glaciologists report in a new study that they suspect iron
                  oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some
                  icebergs green... Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton,
                  microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. But iron
                  is scarce in many areas of the ocean.



                  If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green
                  icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the
                  open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the
                  organisms that support nearly all marine life.







                  share|improve this answer











                  $endgroup$



                  Rivers.



                  river plume



                  https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1257/mississippi-river-sediment-plume



                  Depicted: the Mississippi dumping its load of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. River flow is cyclical in most places, with high flow during rainy season or spring melt and low flow during dry season / winter or summer. During high flow, nutrients move from the land to the river and on to the sea. With the advent of synthetic fertilizer this can be too much of a good thing - so much nitrogen and phosphorus that they produce massive blooms, that then die.




                  Icebergs.



                  Icebergs generation is periodic, both intrayear and over longer periods.



                  iceberg frequency
                  https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/iceberg-frequency/



                  Icebergs that have scraped along the land can ferry nutrients out to sea, releasing them slowly as the ice melts.



                  green iceberg



                  https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mystery-green-icebergs.html




                  The green icebergs have been a curiosity to scientists for decades,
                  but now glaciologists report in a new study that they suspect iron
                  oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some
                  icebergs green... Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton,
                  microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. But iron
                  is scarce in many areas of the ocean.



                  If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green
                  icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the
                  open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the
                  organisms that support nearly all marine life.








                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited 2 hours ago

























                  answered 2 hours ago









                  WillkWillk

                  116k27220488




                  116k27220488





















                      3












                      $begingroup$

                      Eventually, phytoplankton don't really feed on dust, but on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron(Fe), and the various other nutrients plants need, that may compose it. But if a desert hold such nutrients, it will not stay a desert for long.



                      An example of a yearly massive bloom could be a mass migration of ground animal, on shore, for reproductive purpose (a bit like toad, that need water even if they are most the time ground animal). They will stay on the shore for some weeks, defecating and urinating, and releasing a massive dose of nitrates, phosphate and so on...



                      Second example, industrial activity, mainly agriculture, may lead to algae bloom (like in Brittany, France, with the famous green and smelly algae). And since plants grow on yearly cycle, fertilizer are used on a yearly basis






                      share|improve this answer









                      $endgroup$












                      • $begingroup$
                        Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                        $endgroup$
                        – JohnWDailey
                        4 mins ago















                      3












                      $begingroup$

                      Eventually, phytoplankton don't really feed on dust, but on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron(Fe), and the various other nutrients plants need, that may compose it. But if a desert hold such nutrients, it will not stay a desert for long.



                      An example of a yearly massive bloom could be a mass migration of ground animal, on shore, for reproductive purpose (a bit like toad, that need water even if they are most the time ground animal). They will stay on the shore for some weeks, defecating and urinating, and releasing a massive dose of nitrates, phosphate and so on...



                      Second example, industrial activity, mainly agriculture, may lead to algae bloom (like in Brittany, France, with the famous green and smelly algae). And since plants grow on yearly cycle, fertilizer are used on a yearly basis






                      share|improve this answer









                      $endgroup$












                      • $begingroup$
                        Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                        $endgroup$
                        – JohnWDailey
                        4 mins ago













                      3












                      3








                      3





                      $begingroup$

                      Eventually, phytoplankton don't really feed on dust, but on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron(Fe), and the various other nutrients plants need, that may compose it. But if a desert hold such nutrients, it will not stay a desert for long.



                      An example of a yearly massive bloom could be a mass migration of ground animal, on shore, for reproductive purpose (a bit like toad, that need water even if they are most the time ground animal). They will stay on the shore for some weeks, defecating and urinating, and releasing a massive dose of nitrates, phosphate and so on...



                      Second example, industrial activity, mainly agriculture, may lead to algae bloom (like in Brittany, France, with the famous green and smelly algae). And since plants grow on yearly cycle, fertilizer are used on a yearly basis






                      share|improve this answer









                      $endgroup$



                      Eventually, phytoplankton don't really feed on dust, but on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron(Fe), and the various other nutrients plants need, that may compose it. But if a desert hold such nutrients, it will not stay a desert for long.



                      An example of a yearly massive bloom could be a mass migration of ground animal, on shore, for reproductive purpose (a bit like toad, that need water even if they are most the time ground animal). They will stay on the shore for some weeks, defecating and urinating, and releasing a massive dose of nitrates, phosphate and so on...



                      Second example, industrial activity, mainly agriculture, may lead to algae bloom (like in Brittany, France, with the famous green and smelly algae). And since plants grow on yearly cycle, fertilizer are used on a yearly basis







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 2 hours ago









                      CailloumaxCailloumax

                      38118




                      38118











                      • $begingroup$
                        Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                        $endgroup$
                        – JohnWDailey
                        4 mins ago
















                      • $begingroup$
                        Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                        $endgroup$
                        – JohnWDailey
                        4 mins ago















                      $begingroup$
                      Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                      $endgroup$
                      – JohnWDailey
                      4 mins ago




                      $begingroup$
                      Just made an edit to clarify that I don't want manmade processes.
                      $endgroup$
                      – JohnWDailey
                      4 mins ago











                      3












                      $begingroup$

                      Up-welling. Nutrients tend to sink to the bottom, or to deep water where not enough light reaches to keep photosynthetic life forms thriving. If there is some mechanism to vigorously return deep water to the surface then it can bring the nutrients with it.



                      Up-welling might well be a seasonal thing. For example, currents could flow in one direction half the year when the snow melts in this hemisphere and builds up in the other. Then in the other direction for the other half of the year. This could produce a seasonal stirring of the deeper ocean layers.



                      Up-welling could be driven by temperature differences produced by geological heating that does not rise to the level of volcanoes. Water is at its highest density at close to 1.5°C. So if you have something that warms the depths it will bring the deep water back to the surface. This probably isn't seasonal.



                      In exotic places with exotic tides, that might do it. If a large moon had an exceedingly eccentric orbit, you could have extreme tides for the portion of the moon's orbit when it was closest, then far weaker tides the rest of the time.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                      $endgroup$

















                        3












                        $begingroup$

                        Up-welling. Nutrients tend to sink to the bottom, or to deep water where not enough light reaches to keep photosynthetic life forms thriving. If there is some mechanism to vigorously return deep water to the surface then it can bring the nutrients with it.



                        Up-welling might well be a seasonal thing. For example, currents could flow in one direction half the year when the snow melts in this hemisphere and builds up in the other. Then in the other direction for the other half of the year. This could produce a seasonal stirring of the deeper ocean layers.



                        Up-welling could be driven by temperature differences produced by geological heating that does not rise to the level of volcanoes. Water is at its highest density at close to 1.5°C. So if you have something that warms the depths it will bring the deep water back to the surface. This probably isn't seasonal.



                        In exotic places with exotic tides, that might do it. If a large moon had an exceedingly eccentric orbit, you could have extreme tides for the portion of the moon's orbit when it was closest, then far weaker tides the rest of the time.






                        share|improve this answer








                        New contributor




                        puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                        Check out our Code of Conduct.






                        $endgroup$















                          3












                          3








                          3





                          $begingroup$

                          Up-welling. Nutrients tend to sink to the bottom, or to deep water where not enough light reaches to keep photosynthetic life forms thriving. If there is some mechanism to vigorously return deep water to the surface then it can bring the nutrients with it.



                          Up-welling might well be a seasonal thing. For example, currents could flow in one direction half the year when the snow melts in this hemisphere and builds up in the other. Then in the other direction for the other half of the year. This could produce a seasonal stirring of the deeper ocean layers.



                          Up-welling could be driven by temperature differences produced by geological heating that does not rise to the level of volcanoes. Water is at its highest density at close to 1.5°C. So if you have something that warms the depths it will bring the deep water back to the surface. This probably isn't seasonal.



                          In exotic places with exotic tides, that might do it. If a large moon had an exceedingly eccentric orbit, you could have extreme tides for the portion of the moon's orbit when it was closest, then far weaker tides the rest of the time.






                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.






                          $endgroup$



                          Up-welling. Nutrients tend to sink to the bottom, or to deep water where not enough light reaches to keep photosynthetic life forms thriving. If there is some mechanism to vigorously return deep water to the surface then it can bring the nutrients with it.



                          Up-welling might well be a seasonal thing. For example, currents could flow in one direction half the year when the snow melts in this hemisphere and builds up in the other. Then in the other direction for the other half of the year. This could produce a seasonal stirring of the deeper ocean layers.



                          Up-welling could be driven by temperature differences produced by geological heating that does not rise to the level of volcanoes. Water is at its highest density at close to 1.5°C. So if you have something that warms the depths it will bring the deep water back to the surface. This probably isn't seasonal.



                          In exotic places with exotic tides, that might do it. If a large moon had an exceedingly eccentric orbit, you could have extreme tides for the portion of the moon's orbit when it was closest, then far weaker tides the rest of the time.







                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer






                          New contributor




                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                          answered 2 hours ago









                          puppetsockpuppetsock

                          1311




                          1311




                          New contributor




                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.





                          New contributor





                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.






                          puppetsock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.



























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