Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Whales of the World Catching Dinner Whale Food Webs Living on Sunshine A Poop Pump A Food Chain Mystery Migration The Ocean's Mix Master Whales Help the Planet Things Are Heating Up Carbon Is Key Carbon on the Move Storing Carbon The Carbon Conundrum Whales to the Rescue Help Whales Help the Planet Glossary Resources Index
INTRODUCTION Off the coast of Trincomalee Sri Lanka a sperm whale as long as three minivans dives deep in the ocean chasing a giant squid Ten minutes go by then twenty thirty forty Finally after almost an hour the whale breaks the ocean's surface with a massive exhale Whoosh The blast of warm air condenses into water droplets that catch the sun's light and glitter briefly before evaporating The sperm whale's world may seem foreign think of all the gear you would need to survive in the ocean And giant squid for dinner Maybe not But sperm whales and all the world's whales are actually a lot like you Just like humans and other mammals they give birth to live babies that feed on their mother's milk They're warm blooded And while they can hold their breath for long periods as they swim and dive they still have to come to the surface to grab gulps of the air we all share Whales are found in all the world's oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic from the Atlantic to the Pacific Since they spend most of their time underwater whales are still quite mysterious to us But new research tools are helping us discover many new things about their lives such as where they travel and how far what they eat and what might eat them And one of the most remarkable things we've learned As whales go about their lives they're also helping the planet and ultimately us As they swim and dive and eat and poop whales are working as ecosystem engineers Their actions help maintain a healthy ocean and can even affect Earth's atmosphere which is critical in a warming world
