How whales sustain life on earth and fight Climate change

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing whales and dolphins today.

The climate is changing fast: so fast that some whale and dolphin populations may not have time to adapt. Changes in sea temperature, freshening of seawater, acidification, rises in sea levels, the loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of food sources are just some of the many dangers which climate change poses for whales and dolphins. Yet whales can be one of our biggest allies in combating climate change.

How do whales help combat climate change?

Whales play a key part in helping to combat climate change through their role in the marine ecosystem. They play a vital role in the health of the oceans where they help provide up to 50% of our oxygen, combat climate change and sustain fish stocks.

The way that whales feed, poo, migrate, and dive between the surface and the ocean depths (known as the ‘whale pump’), circulates essential nutrients throughout the ocean.  This in turn supports healthy marine ecosystems and the growth of phytoplankton, which locks in a massive amount of carbon from the atmosphere.

By their sheer scale, large whales lock in huge amounts of carbon, however researchers estimate that this has been reduced by approximately nine million tonnes by commercial whaling.  Indeed, the mass slaughter of whales in the 19^th and 20^th centuries may well have accelerated the effects of climate change, by both increasing the release of carbon into the atmosphere and diminishing the role whales play in locking it back in the oceans.

Put simply, we need more whales in the ocean to help combat the impact of climate change.  The more whales there are, the healthier the oceans will be and the less carbon dioxide there will be in the atmosphere.

Scientists have identified two key ways in which whales play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ocean and planet:

Whale Pump - Whales act as 'ecosystem engineers'. As they dive deep to feed, and then come to the surface to breathe and poo, they circulate huge amounts of nutrients, particularly iron and nitrogen . Whale poo is a brilliant fertiliser for microscopic plants called phytoplankton, which, as the basis for the entire marine ecosystem, remove millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere and produce massive amounts of oxygen. This is known as the "Whale Pump".

Whale Fall - Even in death, whales sustain life. When they die, whales sink to the seabed, where they become oases for marine life, taking huge amounts of carbon with them to the sea-bed. Researchers estimate that large whales store approximately nine million tonnes less carbon now than they did before large-scale whaling. see the image of this whale fall cycle in the attached file below

How are whales, dolphins and porpoises affected by climate change?

Climate change is expected to be the main cause of mass extinctions in the 21st century and whales and dolphins are not immune. The rapid warming of the planet is leading to a loss of habitat for whales and dolphins and greater competition for a diminishing amount of prey species. It is affecting the timing and ranges of their migration, their distribution and even their ability to reproduce.

Climate change is a fundamental threat to whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Unless radical actions are taken, some whale and dolphin populations may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive. For example, the northern Indian Ocean is fringed by land, limiting the ability of species to move northwards into cooler habitat as waters become warmer.

Read Report - Whales their future is our future PDF here

Information sourced from : WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a leading charity dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins.

WDC website here