Countless innovations have been proposed with the goal of removing carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, from planting more trees and increasing soil carbon to direct air capture and carbon mineralization.
At least two carbon sequestration efforts currently in development have drawn inspiration from a surprising source: whale poop. Over the past two decades, research has revealed the importance of whale feces in marine ecosystems. Whale poop is rich in nutrients like iron, nitrogen, and phosphorus, which are crucial for the growth of phytoplankton. In addition to forming the base of many marine food chains and supporting the survival of various fish species, these microscopic marine algae serve another vital function: capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during photosynthesis.
However, centuries of commercial whaling decimated global whale populations, which have never recovered, and neither has the amount of whale poop in the oceans.
Two different groups of scientists have developed their own versions of synthetic whale poop, which they hope to release on the surface of carefully selected marine environments so that it comes into contact with sunlight and triggers the growth of phytoplankton.
In 2021, a team from the WhaleX Foundation released 80 gallons of their fake whale feces into Australia’s Tasman Sea. They are planning a larger test this year using "biopods" floating on the ocean surface to measure the growth of microalgae and how much carbon dioxide they capture. If the tests are successful, they hope to expand to nutrient-poor “ocean deserts" around the world to help restore their productivity and boost carbon dioxide removal.
The Marine Biomass Regeneration project has developed its own whale poop formula: nutrient-rich dust mixed with baked rice husks (to help keep the nutrients close to the surface). They have had interest from leaders in Tonga and Tuvalu, who hope that the phytoplankton blooms could help restore local fish populations.
Phenomenally productive phytoplankton:
- Phytoplankton are a surprisingly diverse group, with about 5,000 known species. This includes diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and many others.
- According to some estimates, the world’s phytoplankton capture between 30 and 50 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which is roughly 40% of the world’s total carbon capture.
- Despite producing around half of the world’s oxygen through photosynthesis, phytoplankton make up less than 1% of Earth’s plant biomass.
