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John Martin's famous quote was to "give me" what and he'd bring forth more algae?

  • A tanker of oil

  • Half a tanker of iron

  • A ship of plastic

  • A bucket of salt

Answer

Half a tanker of iron would trigger an algal bloom—a rapid increase in the population of algae—because iron is a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton. This means that the growth of phytoplankton is limited by the availability of iron in the ocean. Iron is essential for photosynthesis, and when more iron is introduced, phytoplankton can reproduce more rapidly, resulting in an algal bloom.
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