"A Rogue Climate Experiment Outrages Scientists"

Via The New York Times:

A California businessman chartered a fishing boat in July, loaded it with 100 tons of iron dust and cruised through Pacific waters off western Canada, spewing his cargo into the sea in an ecological experiment that has outraged scientists and government officials.
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Marine scientists and other experts have assailed the experiment as unscientific, irresponsible and probably in violation of [international] agreements, which are intended to prevent tampering with ocean ecosystems under the guise of trying to fight the effects of climate change.

Though the environmental impact of the foray could well prove minimal, scientists said, it raises the specter of what they have long feared: rogue field experiments that might unintentionally put the environment at risk.

The businessman, Russ George, apparently sold his iron seeding services for $2.5 million to several coastal tribes. The theory was that they could claim carbon tax credits. That would appear unlikely. Calling it an "ecological experiment," given the absence of ability to measure results and the absence of controls, also seems unlikely.