by Darby Minow Smith
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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