HOW WHALE POOP HELPS COOL THE PLANET

Believe it or not, but whale poop helps to cool down the planet.

Whaling was a devastating time for whales in the past. More specifically, sperm whales and their species that are still recovering today, even with them being protected. But, what scientists have discovered is that a lack in whale population has negatively impacted global warming too.

Each sperm whale consumes around 200 tonnes of food per year, and a large portion of their diet consists of squid and octopus which have a high iron content in the pigment in their ink. Sperm whales dive to the depths of the ocean to feed, but at those low levels, some of their body function shuts down in order to conserve oxygen. Their bowel movements are one of them, so sperm whales rise to the water surface to poop.

Whale poop is very light in consistency and therefore floats at the top of the seawater. Here, over 90% of the iron feasted on by sperm whales is excreted too. But, what in the ocean needs vast amounts of iron, which is actually hard to come by in the sea? Well, plants!

Iron is an essential element for the process of photosynthesis in plants in the ocean, more specifically, phytoplankton.

And the basics of how all plant life helps the environment is that it consumes CO2 and excretes oxygen...the more the better!

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, SciShow, on Whale Poop Helps Cool Our Planet.