Breckenridge Destinations supports independent journalism. Click for great deals on vacation lodging in Breckenridge.
A breaching humpback whale. PHOTO COURTESY OF WHIT WELLES.
SUMMIT COUNTY — Recovering whale populations could help boost the productivity of coastal fisheries, where the feces of the giant sea mammals adds critical nutrients to the ecosystem.
In the Gulf of Maine, for example, the whale poop adds up to about 23,000 metric tons of nitrogen annually — more than the input of all the rivers combined, according biologists Joe Roman and James McCarthy who recently published a paper describing how whales bring nutrient from the deep waters where they feed back to the surface.
It is well known that microbes, plankton, and fish recycle nutrients in ocean waters, but whales and other marine mammals have largely been ignored in this cycle. The new study shows that whales historically played a central role in the productivity of ocean ecosystems — and continue to do so despite diminished populations. (more…)
Filed under: biodiversity, Environment, Marine biology, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: Environment, fisheries, Gulf of Maine, marine biology, Marine mammal, nitrogen, nutrient cycling, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, whales | Leave a Comment »
Arapahoe Basin supports independent journalism. Click to visit The Legend online.
Powder's falling at Monarch!! Have you reserved your spot yet?
Innovative energy underwrites coverage of energy stories.
