Meet Azolla – ‘Mosquito Fern’ that caused an ice era for 800,000 years (and could fight climate change today)

Forty-nine million years ago, the Arctic Ocean was nowhere near the space of thick ice and sub-zero waters we see today. Was a lush, steaming, where crocodile Wrapped, shaken palm trees and turtles slip through the waters as warm as the Gulf of Mexico.

Polar regions were a series of greenhouses, blooming under a thick blanket of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), with levels moving about 3,500 parts per million – almost nine times higher than today. It seemed as if the planet was locked in an eternal summer, without ice in the eye.

But nature had other plans.

Would take a small plant – not a catastrophe, not a volcanic eruption– to give balance and send the soil that coils into an ice era that will last nearly a million years.

That plant was Azoll– A Fern not larger than a nail. And her story can hold the key to combating climate change today.

Azoll Is a Fern like no one else

This genus of small, rapidly growing aquatic ferns is sometimes referred to as “water fern” or “mosquito fern” for its ability to form thick mattresses over ponds and slow water.

Found in freshwater environments around the world, these plants have an extraordinary trait-they form a symbiotic relationship with a cyanobacterium that regulates nitrogen (Anabaena Azollae) which allows them to bloom even in poor nutrients.

It means Azoll It can grow explosively, doubled its biomass in just two to three days in the right conditions.

But what really decides Azoll Except it is its ability to attract carbon and nitrogen from the environment with an unprecedented rate. During photosynthesis, Azoll Soak the massive amounts of CO₂ which blocks within its tissue.

When dying and sinks at the bottom of the water bodies, most of this carbon are buried effectively, removing it from the atmosphere for millennia. Azoll It also shines in soaking nitrates and phosphates, making it a powerful tool for purifying wastewater.

In agricultural environments, farmers have long recognized its benefits. In Asian rice voses, for example, Azoll It has been used for more than a thousand years as a biofertilizer, improving soil quality and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. This humble fern is not just a carbon sponge – it is an environmental multitool.

As a small fern caused an ice era

Approximately 49 million years ago, a perfect storm of geological events created an ideal environment for a Azoll Making.

The Arctic Ocean, almost isolated from the largest oceans from the Earth’s bridges, became a wide, shallow, nutrient -rich pelvis. This stagnant water body developed a freshwater layer on the top, driven by river entrances and Monson -like rainfall.

Warm and sun conditions were perfect for Azollwhich began to spread uncontrollably across the surface of the Arctic, forming dense mattresses covering millions of square kilometers.

For 800,000 years, this Azoll The flowering cycle repeated itself. As the plants grew, they absorbed large amounts of union from the atmosphere. When they died, their remains sank in the poor depth of the Arctic Ocean oxygen, where decomposition was limited.

Instead of releasing the carbon stored back into the atmosphere, Azoll Effectively closed it in the sediment, preventing it from contributing to the greenhouse effect.

The impact was stunning.

AzollContributed seizure of lowering atmospheric CO₂ levels from 3,500 ppm to about 500 ppm, according to August 2000 study published Nature– a dramatic decrease that cools the planet. Over time, the climate of the Earth moved from a “greenhouse” state to the coldest “Icehouse” conditions we know today.

The Arctic finally froze, the polar ice lids were formed, and the global climate system changed forever.

This transformation was not a change overnight, but rather a prolonged process driven by Azollis ruthless Carbon seizure. For 800,000 years, Fern continued to blossom and sink, gradually stripping the CO₂ atmosphere and strengthening the cooling trend.

Sustainable withdrawal of greenhouse gases led to a cascading series of climate shifts. As CO₂ concentrations increase, global temperatures were constantly decreased and the planet’s ability to block heat continued to decline. coolant Changed ocean circulation models, leading to stronger thermohalin currents that further distribute cold water across the globe.

Meanwhile, the Arctic Ocean, once a warm and layered pelvis, saw its surface waters cool significantly, allowing seafood to eventually form.

Azoll Could cool the planet again – but only in the right conditions

Soon to date, and we are facing the opposite problem: increasing CO₂ levels, global warming and accelerating climate change. Can Azoll Help us change the course once again?

Theoretically, yes.

The same skills for carbon sequences that helped promote an ice age can be used to mitigate the change of modern climate. Large -scale cultivation of Azoll In controlled water environments they can attract significant amounts of joining from the air.

According to October 2021 study published Environmental science and pollution researchBy growing strategically Azoll In an area equal to one -fifth of the Amazon forest can help compensate for the annual growth of carbon emissions.

However, there are many who need to be addressed before we can invite the planet again.

Unlike the Arctic Eocene, today’s oceans are not ideal for Azoll Enlargement. The plant blooms in freshwater, and large -scale cultivation would require controlled ponds, wetlands or modified agricultural systems to prevent unwanted spread.

There is also the question of what to do with the harvested biomass. whether Azoll It is left to decompose in open water, most of its preserved carbon can be reprinted into the atmosphere, denying its benefits. Effective carbon seizure would require burial Azoll biomass or its transformation into long -term storage biofoch.

Beyond grasping carbon, Azolla ‘The potential S extends to the treatment of sewage and stable agriculture.

Fern’s ability to absorb nitrate and phosphate makes it an excellent candidate for cleaning rivers and polluted lakes. In agriculture, it can replace synthetic fertilizers, reducing soil degradation and improving crop yields without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Azoll It has already formed the Earth’s climate once before, turning a greenhouse world into an ice cream. Now, while humanity struggles with rising temperatures and levels of escalation of CO₂, this ancient Fern can simply offer a way forward.

But as with any climate solution, there is no silver bullet. Using successfully Azoll To combat climate change requires careful planning, large -scale infrastructure and a strategy to ensure that the caught carbon remains closed. It also requires balancing its benefits with the risks of uncontrolled growth, especially in non-native ecosystems.

Still, the story of Azoll It serves as a powerful memory: sometimes, the deepest changes come from the smallest things. The same small blackberry that froze the planet millions of years ago can simply hold the key to cooling it again.

The massive influence of Azolla exposes the hidden potential throughout our natural world to heal and renovate himself. Get a 2-minute quiz to find out where you stay in The degree of disturbance of climate change.