The cause of the greenhouse effect lies in the overabundance of atmospheric carbon. Lowering its level means saving the planet from global warming. Ecologists have suggested using the largest marine life for this.
Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect, threatening global warming and environmental disaster. Ridding the planet of excess atmospheric carbon is one of the most important tasks of mankind.
Environmentalists at the University of Southeast Alaska have come up with the idea of using whales as a natural carbon sink. The scientists presented their arguments in an article published by in edition Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
Among the various options for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, this proposal seems quite promising. Whales are considered the largest animals on earth, their biomass is a huge reservoir of atmospheric carbon. Some individuals reach up to 150 tons of weight. These giants live for a hundred or more years. At the same time, they live in the pelagic zones of the oceans, where 22% of all terrestrial carbon is concentrated.
The daily diet of a whale (mainly krill and phytoplankton) is up to 4% of its body weight. The blue whale eats about four tons of such food per day, which, after processing, becomes a favorable environment for the prosperity of krill and plankton, helping to intensify photosynthesis and accumulate carbon.
In addition, dying, the remains of a whale sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking with them the lion’s share of carbon dioxide. For these reasons, environmentalists are calling not only to restore, but also to increase the population of whales on the planet.
