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

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

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…This cost model has not taken into account any potential positive GHG offsets, or beneficial aspects, of OIF. One provocative idea is that OIF carried out in the Southern Ocean could help restore the phytoplankton/krill/whale balance that is speculated to have been a significant contributor to marine CDR in this region as little as a century ago (Pearson et al., 2022; Smetacek, 2021.). This balance was upset due to humans harvesting most of the large baleen whales in the Southern Ocean.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cost Model for Ocean Iron Fertilization as a Means of Carbon Dioxide Removal That Compares Ship‐ and Aerial‐Based Delivery, and Estimates Verification Costs

Emerson,

Sofen,

Michaud

et al. 2024

Earth's Future

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We present a cost model for implementing a deployment scale effort for conducting ocean iron fertilization (OIF) for marine‐based carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The model incorporates basic oceanographic parameters critical for estimating the effective export of newly fixed CO2 into biomass that is stimulated by Fe addition to an Fe‐limited region of the Southern Ocean. Estimated costs can vary by nearly 100‐fold between best‐case and worst‐case scenarios, with best‐case values of $7/net tonne C captured versus worst‐case $1,500/net tonne C captured, without accounting for verification costs. Primary oceanographic factors that influence cost are the net primary productivity increases achieved via OIF, the amount of C exported into the deep ocean, and the amount of CO2 ventilated back to the atmosphere. The model compares ship‐based versus aerial delivery of Fe to the ocean, and estimates aerial delivery can be 30%–40% more cost effective; however, the specific requirements for aerial delivery require additional research and development. The model also estimates costs associated with verification and environmental monitoring of OIF. These costs increase $/net tonne C captured by 3–4‐fold. Best, intermediate, and worst cases for aerial delivery and ship delivery are $21, $83, $2,033, and $24, $94, $4,691, respectively, inclusive of verification costs. The primary goal of this model is to demonstrate the variability in cost of OIF as a CDR method, and to better understand where additional research is needed to determine the major factors that may make OIF a tractable, nature‐based CDR method.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cost Model for Ocean Iron Fertilization as a Means of Carbon Dioxide Removal That Compares Ship‐ and Aerial‐Based Delivery, and Estimates Verification Costs

Emerson,

Sofen,

Michaud

et al. 2024

Earth's Future

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“…So, even if tuna populations are recovering since the 1990s owing to proactive fisheries management approaches (Pons et al, 2018), more radical interventions may be necessary to reverse the CO 2 balance of these populations, to quickly rebuild all these fish stocks above their target management reference points. This could be even revised to higher values, to increase carbon sequestration and potentially monetize this ecosystem service, like for whales, owing to a rigorous valuation of carbon dioxide removal (Pearson et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial fisheries have reversed the carbon sequestration by tuna carcasses into emissions

Mouillot,

Derminon,

Mariani

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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“…Great whales (baleen and sperm whales) import nutrients in the form of excreta as they migrate from nutrient-rich feeding grounds in higher latitudes to nutrient-poor lower latitude breeding grounds (Roman et al, 2016) (Box 1). This "great whale conveyor belt" plays a vital role in supporting marine food webs and carbon cycling (Pearson et al, 2023). Disturbance in the form of stochastic extreme weather events may also have profound effects on ecosystem function and species range.…”

Section: B Ehavior Al Pathways Of G Lobal Chang E S Affec Ting Die Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes?

Hallam

Harris

2023

Global Change Biology

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Ongoing anthropogenic change is altering the planet at an unprecedented rate, threatening biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Species are responding to abiotic pressures at both individual and population levels, with changes affecting trophic interactions through consumptive pathways. Collectively, these impacts alter the goods and services that natural ecosystems will provide to society, as well as the persistence of all species. Here, we describe the physiological and behavioral responses of species to global changes on individual and population levels that result in detectable changes in diet across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We illustrate shifts in the dynamics of food webs with implications for animal communities. Additionally, we highlight the myriad of tools available for researchers to investigate the dynamics of consumption patterns and trophic interactions, arguing that diet data are a crucial component of ecological studies on global change. We suggest that a holistic approach integrating the complexities of diet choice and trophic interactions with environmental drivers may be more robust at resolving trends in biodiversity, predicting food web responses, and potentially identifying early warning signs of diversity loss. Ultimately, despite the growing body of long‐term ecological datasets, there remains a dearth of diet ecology studies across temporal scales, a shortcoming that must be resolved to elucidate vulnerabilities to changing biophysical conditions.

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

Cited by 26 publications

References 83 publications

A Cost Model for Ocean Iron Fertilization as a Means of Carbon Dioxide Removal That Compares Ship‐ and Aerial‐Based Delivery, and Estimates Verification Costs

A Cost Model for Ocean Iron Fertilization as a Means of Carbon Dioxide Removal That Compares Ship‐ and Aerial‐Based Delivery, and Estimates Verification Costs

Industrial fisheries have reversed the carbon sequestration by tuna carcasses into emissions

What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes?

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