Scientists are turning to synthetic whale feces to restore the marine food chain and stimulate the absorption of carbon dioxide.
Industrial whaling in the 20th century devastated ocean ecosystems, driving many whale species to extinction and disrupting the life cycle of nutrients. The removal of millions of whales has decimated nutrient-rich whale feces in marine food webs, severely affecting ocean productivity and carbon sequestration.
Now, scientists at the WhaleX Foundation and other initiatives are pioneering the use of synthetic whale feces to restore these lost ecological functions and help combat climate change.
Whales play a key role in ocean ecosystems, feeding deeply and defecating closer to the surface, where nutrients such as nitrogen, iron and phosphorus enrich nutrient-poor waters, stimulating the proliferation of phytoplankton.
Phytoplankton, the base of the marine food chain, not only sustains ocean life but also absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can then be sequestered at the bottom of the sea. However, the sharp decline in whale populations has led to a reduction in these nutrient-rich plumes, making this natural process of carbon capture more difficult, explains .
To solve this problem, WhaleX developed synthetic whale feces, a nutrient-rich mixture designed to mimic the composition of real whale waste. In December 2021, WhaleX tested the solution by releasing 30 liters in the Tasman Seato Australia.
Its next trials, scheduled for 2025, will involve biopods – cylinders that retain nutrients at the surface, where they stimulate the growth of phytoplankton and allow scientists to measure the efficiency of carbon capture.
Similar initiatives are taking place worldwide. The Marine Biomass Regeneration project, led by David King of the University of Cambridge, uses nutrient-dense dust mixed with rice husks to create a prolonged surface presence for phytoplankton growth.
The team prepares for release volcanic and glacial dust to test its impact on plankton blooms in the oceans surrounding Pacific islands like Tonga and Tuvalu, areas affected by declining fish populations.
However, these experiments face scientific and regulatory obstacles. Experts emphasize the importance of assess ecological impacts of synthetic nutrients from the ocean surface to the sea floor. Legal regulations such as the London Convention also restrict large-scale testing until synthetic nutrients are shown to have no harmful effects on marine ecosystems.
Despite the challenges, scientists remain optimistic about the potential of synthetic whale feces to restore ocean ecosystems and reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
