Whales bring up the rear in the fight against oceanic acidification

Photo courtesy nestor galina via FlickrAnti-whaling advocates can take a giant load off their shoulders. An article on Treehugger shares yet another reason not to whale on whales: They crap ecosystem gold.

Ocean acidification, caused by seawater absorbing too much carbon dioxide, is a major problem facing marine ecosystems. As water’s pH drops, so does aquatic organisms’ ability to photosynthesize and absorb nutrients.

One geoengineering quick fix is to plunk iron into the ocean, fertilizing the entire food chain and encouraging marine plant growth. But holy crap — researchers recently discovered that when whales eat iron-rich krill, they naturally fertilizer the water themselves. 

Let’s hope the anti-whaling movement finds new fuel in this. Because why drop iron into the ocean when whales can naturally dump it for you?

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