Dumping fertilizer in the ocean

So I came across this article today and I'm curious...

news.yahoo.com...;_ylt=AgEMNQyvA2sm4SWnMfzpF1PPOrgF

Does anyone consider this to be a good idea? I mean, it appears they are trying to help the world out by doing this, but is it really going to help matters by dumping this urea in the ocean?

It appears to be an experimental way of boosting the growth of plant matter to combat "global warming", but if this is an untested method couldn't this be harmful to the entire ecosystem??

I'd like to hear some thoughts on this, sorry if it's been posted, this article is a few days old...

Your link doesn't work. Fertilizer contains lots of chemicals that can be toxic to living organisms, if they consume it. If fish start eating it, and it ends up in their bodies, then we start eating those fish, think of what it will do to us.

If they're trying to boost the sea algae population, I think there are better ways of doing it, than spraying the oceans with chemicals.

[edit on 16-11-2007 by DJMessiah]

Hmm, worked for me, sorry bout that, I just checked the handbook on linking ect...

here's an excerpt:

Source
Sydney-based Ocean Nourishment Corp. is said to be planning to pump up to 1,000 tonnes of nitrogen-rich urea into the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines, where it has already dumped one tonne of the substance.

The company has said urea stimulates the growth of phytoplankton in the sea and can absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide -- the main cause of global warning -- from the atmosphere.

It also said the growth of more phytoplankton would help boost fishing stocks.

I found a few more articles regarding this here and here

It seems like they are trying exactly what DJMessiah said, trying to boost the algae population by using fertilizer. Sounds like they got in a bit of trouble over it though as they went ahead and started dumping as a test before they got permission.

I really don't understand why people would do this? I mean this isn't some farm or something, this is the entire ocean...

Couldn't going through with this just cause even more problems in the long run? It reminds me of when the MN DNR brought in black flies to kill army worms and then when they had a fly problem they brought in frogs to eat the flies and then they had too many frogs so they brought an animal in to kill them! and this just keeps going on and on...