Today’s Solutions: November 04, 2024

While we tend to think of forests as the world’s primary natural carbon sinks, that’s only true on land. When it comes to our oceans, a huge carbon sink comes in an unexpected form: whales. That’s right, these amazing mammals store humongous amounts of carbon dioxide in their bodies as they grow, and they take it down to the bottom of the ocean when they die, storing it there for centuries.

A whale fall — or the event when the carcass of a whale falls onto the ocean floor — can store tonnes of carbon dioxide, keeping it away from the atmosphere for centuries. In fact, recent research at marine sanctuaries in San Francisco found that whale falls represent roughly 60 percent of annual carbon storage in the marine environment, reports euronews.

A 2019 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that great whales are the carbon capture titans of the marine world. According to the report, each great whale sequesters 33 tons of CO2 on average, storing that carbon onto the seafloor at the end of their lives. Overall, the IMF estimates that whales have the potential to capture 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 annually if we allow them to restore to their pre-whaling numbers.

Not only that, whales also play an important role in the production of phytoplankton by providing these tiny microorganisms with valuable nutrients. The mammals’ iron-rich feces promotes the growth of the tiny marine algae, which capture around 40 percent of all CO2 emitted in the world.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Brazil fines meat producers $64 million over ties to deforested Amazon land

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a major environmental crackdown, Brazil's IBAMA fined meat packers and cattle ranchers $64 million for rearing or ...

Read More

How to spot a moon ring: a guide to lunar halos and other moonlight phenomena

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The ring around the moon, also known as the lunar halo, is a breathtaking yet surprisingly common sight ...

Read More

The surprising reason you should turn your camera off during Zoom calls

To all of you who have been keeping their cameras off during Zoom calls, well done. You may have simply been trying to hide ...

Read More

Hummingbirds have the widest color range of all birds

Among the different species of birds, hummingbirds are among the most iconic and distinct in the skies. These unique creatures hover unlike most birds, ...

Read More