How whales are crucial to the world’s oxygen levels
While these majestic beasts do not produce oxygen themselves, they are closely linked to around 60 percent of the world’s oxygen.
Fun fact, while trees are very important to the world, they produce far less oxygen than tiny plankton in the ocean. Phytoplankton, are estimated to produce between 50 to 80 percent of the entire world’s oxygen supply!(the most accepted percentage is 70 percent)
It’s obvious, if phytoplankton levels drop too low or they go extinct, WE HUMANS WOULD NOT LAST A SINGLE DAY!
Now what do whales have to do with phytoplankton you ask? Well, phytoplankton meet their iron requirements from whale poop. Iron is the most essential nutrient for photosynthesis, but it is the least naturally available one in the ocean. Whale poop is extremely rich in iron and thus enable phytoplankton to exist the way they do. Without whale poop, we will die. Only whales poop whale poop. Can I make it any more obvious?
If whales die out, phytoplankton will too, and humans will follow. No amount of trees and forests can compensate for the loss in oxygen if this were to happen (not to mention, we are losing a lot of the world’s most important forests, so we’d be screwed big time).
All marine life also depend on phytoplankton directly or indirectly, and the vast majority of living beings need oxygen, so it’s not just humans that will die out if whales die out. This is why unnecessary, malicious whaling is such a problem. A problem that could potentially suffocate you and directly affect you, but gets ignored.
Whales are not the only species that fertilize phytoplankton, but they are the largest and most important. Whale poo, being denser than water floats to the upper levels of the ocean where phytoplankton blooms are much more common. Whales also live longer and have long migration routes, and thus ensure the distribution of iron to phytoplankton for long periods of time and over vast regions. The flow of water within the ocean itself often helps in the further distribution of iron.
Many whales species are dropping in numbers, some are endangered. We have to accept this problem first, and talk about it, before we can actually implement measures. That being said, we must plan, learn and have measures ready to be implemented. That is what can help this issue gain traction and enter the mainstream media. Once in the public eye, the governments can be pressured into protection programs.
It sounds insane and may not work in your mind, but at least try. Spread word on this issue. Talk about it. What I have written here is a rather simplified version of the essential details. So educate yourself further. Try to educate others or guide them to resources that could.
Here are a couples resources to get you started:
