From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-345026-569985
OBAN, Scotland (UPI) -- British-led scientists say they've discovered
the presence of large amounts of seaweed along coastal areas can
influence the Earth's climate.
The international study led by Frithjof Kupper of the Scottish
Association for Marine Science found brown seaweeds, when under
stress, release large quantities of inorganic iodine into the coastal
atmosphere, where it can contribute to cloud formation.
"When kelp experience stress -- for example when they are exposed to
intense light, desiccation or atmospheric ozone during low tides --
they very quickly begin to release large quantities of iodide from
stores inside the tissues," said Kupper. "These ions detoxify ozone
and other oxidants that could otherwise damage kelp, and, in the
process, produce molecular iodine.
"Our new data provide a biological explanation why we can measure
large amounts of iodine oxide and volatile halocarbons in the
atmosphere above kelp beds and forests," he added. "These chemicals
act as condensation nuclei around which clouds may form."
The study that included Gordon McFiggans of the University of
Manchester and contributors from the Netherlands, Germany, France,
Switzerland, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the United
States appears in the online, early edition of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.