Whales could be a valuable carbon sink, say scientists

Nature-based solutions to fight climate change take a holistic approach that promotes biodiversity and ecosystem preservation. While many efforts have focused on planting trees or restoring wetlands, researchers publishing in?Trends in Ecology and Evolution?on December 15 advocate for the importance of understanding the carbon sequestration potential of the planet's largest animals -- whales.

In their paper, the researchers explore how these marine giants can influence the amount of carbon in our air and waters and potentially contribute to the overall reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

"Understanding the role of whales in the carbon cycle is a dynamic and emerging field that may benefit both marine conservation and climate-change strategies," write the authors, led by Heidi Pearson, a biologist from the University of Alaska Southeast. "This will require interdisciplinary collaboration between marine ecologists, oceanographers, biogeochemists, carbon-cycle modelers, and economists."

Whales can weigh up to 150 tons, live over 100 years, and be the size of large airplanes. Like all living things, their hefty biomass is composed largely of carbon and they make up one of the largest living carbon pools in the pelagic ocean, part of the marine system that is responsible for storing 22% of Earth's total carbon.

"Whale recovery has the potential for long-term self-sustained enhancement of the ocean carbon sink," the authors write. "The full carbon dioxide reduction role of great whales (and other organisms) will only be realized through robust conservation and management interventions that directly promote population increases."

Original Source: HERE

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