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Australian Scientists Discover an Interesting Use for Whale Waste
Image Source: Flickr. By: Dryoptera.
It would seem that scientists have come up with yet another reason to put a stop to whale hunting.
Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division have discovered that whale fecal matter is an effective, plant-friendly fertilizer for the ocean. The research suggests if whale populations are allowed to flourish, their waste could also help marine plant life to flourish. This would improve the ocean’s ability to absorb CO2.
Most of their bodily waste comes from their consumption of krill and according to scientist, Steve Nicol:
“When whales consume the iron-rich krill, they excrete most of the iron back into the water, therefore fertilizing the ocean and starting the whole food cycle again.”
Some marine plants, such as algae, depend on iron to help them grow. Algae are also known to absorb CO2, but it’s not exactly an abundant source in the Southern Ocean. In fact, chemical oceanographer, Andrew Bowie, explained that “one-third of the world’s oceans are low in trace element iron”.
It should also be noted that while the researchers were rather certain the whale waste would contain iron, they were actually surprised to discover the concentration of it was 10 million times higher than that of Antarctic seawater.
Click here to read the report.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: algae, climate change, co2, fertilizer, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, iron, krill, research, waste, whales
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