Whales in the carbon cycle: can recovery remove carbon dioxide?

Heidi C Pearson; Matthew S Savoca; Daniel P Costa; Michael W Lomas; Renato Molina; Andrew J Pershing; Craig R Smith; Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez; Stephen R Wing; Joe Roman

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012

Whales in the carbon cycle: can recovery remove carbon dioxide?

Trends Ecol Evol. 2023 Mar;38(3):238-249. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012. Epub 2022 Dec 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, USA. Electronic address: hcpearson@alaska.edu.
² Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
³ Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
⁴ Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA.
⁵ Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
⁶ Climate Central, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA.
⁷ Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
⁸ Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA; Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
⁹ Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
¹⁰ Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

PMID: 36528413
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012

Abstract

The great whales (baleen and sperm whales), through their massive size and wide distribution, influence ecosystem and carbon dynamics. Whales directly store carbon in their biomass and contribute to carbon export through sinking carcasses. Whale excreta may stimulate phytoplankton growth and capture atmospheric CO₂; such indirect pathways represent the greatest potential for whale-carbon sequestration but are poorly understood. We quantify the carbon values of whales while recognizing the numerous ecosystem, cultural, and moral motivations to protect them. We also propose a framework to quantify the economic value of whale carbon as populations change over time. Finally, we suggest research to address key unknowns (e.g., bioavailability of whale-derived nutrients to phytoplankton, species- and region-specific variability in whale carbon contributions).

Keywords: biological carbon pump; blue carbon; carbon sequestration; climate change; great whale; nature-based solution.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biomass
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Dioxide* / metabolism
Ecosystem
Whales*

Substances

Carbon Dioxide