Melting ice due to global warming could be the key for farmers to cultivate more efficiently and environmentally friendly.
Fine sediment formed from melting ice can help increase crop yields and absorb CO2. Video: Reuters
On a coastline near Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, local scientist Minik Rosing pointed out a paradox as glaciers shrink: one of the most alarming consequences of global warming could offer a solution to mitigate its own effects.
“It’s a kind of magical material!”, Rosing said about the ultra-fine sediment that settles as glaciers melt, known as glacial flour. Each year, approximately one billion tons of glacial flour settles on the world’s largest island, Greenland. This sediment can be easily crushed into nano-sized particles.
A research team from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, led by Rosing, has created a nutrient-rich slurry from glacial flour, which helps increase agricultural output when applied to soil and absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Scientists at the multinational brewing company Carlsberg have also researched and indicated that adding 25 tons of glacial flour per hectare of agricultural land has increased crop yields by 30% on barley fields in Denmark.
Similarly, a research group from the University of Ghana has successfully increased maize yields by 30% using glacial flour to offset the effects of rain and heat on barren agricultural land.
The nano size of the sediment particles allows plants to access more nutrients, including potassium, calcium, and silica, compared to conventional farmland.
Rosing and his colleagues are calling for investment to conduct large-scale field trials in Denmark and Ghana over the next three years. The team also plans to test this material on different soils in Australia, France, Italy, and the United States.
Glacial flour can be easily crushed into nano-sized particles. (Photo: Reuters)
The idea of applying fine rock powder to farmland is not new. Some studies have shown that by-products from mining can improve soil quality, but the new method has garnered significant interest due to its additional benefit of CO2 absorption.
When glacial flour dissolves in rainwater and releases nutrients, it creates a chemical reaction that locks carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This solution is then washed away and ultimately settles on the seabed as carbonate minerals.
Detailed calculations have not yet been conducted, but experiments from the University of Copenhagen indicate that one ton of glacial flour can absorb between 250 to 300 kg of CO2 when applied to fields.
With a large supply available along the coasts of Greenland, Rosing believes that glacial flour is a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizers and helps reduce reliance on rock dust sourced from mining.
“It would be great to use it as a substitute for nutrients like phosphorus, which is expected to be depleted in 50 to 100 years,” emphasized senior scientist Pai Rosager Pedas at Carlsberg’s research laboratory.
