Algae: An Unlikely Hero in the Fight Against Climate Change

Even the most intricate pieces of our planet are proving to play a huge role in its long-term sustainability: a surprising study has found that ocean algal blooms have sucked most carbon dioxide from Australia’s recent wildfires, aiding in the fight against climate change.

The wildfires of late 2019 to early 2020 marked Australia’s worst recorded wildfires in history, releasing roughly 715 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It was thought to become a major contributor to climate change, but scientists discovered that the iron-rich ash from the wildfires gave way to ginormous algal blooms.

The ash seems to have encouraged the growth of microscopic algae, which, through their natural process of photosynthesis, are able to capture carbon particles. Research shows that roughly 80 percent of the 715 million tons of carbon released in the Australian wildfires have already been absorbed by the algae. Pep Canadell of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia spoke about the carbon-absorbing algae, saying that “It shows a very nice connection between the land and the ocean and how the system tries to balance things out.”