Dead Zone CDR management and mis-management
Tom Goreau
Concentrating dead zones under the most productive deep water-upwelling areas acts as a CDR negative feedback, but much less so in shallow coastal areas.
Whales are part of a negative feedback reducing global warming. Whales are extremely attracted to highly productive upwelling waters, which lie above natural dead zones, in fact this is where they do almost all of their feeding and dumping, generating regional oceanic dead zones in deep waters that are major global carbon sinks.
But to clarify the waters: ALL anthropogenic dead zones are caused by excessive land-based nutrient sources from bad land management: sewage, fertilizers, deforestation, and soil erosion, not by marine mammals!
Natural whale-fueled Dead Zones in the deep ocean can store carbon for very long times, but the anthropogenic ones are killing coastal fisheries globally through harmful algae blooms, toxins, and mass kills.
I saw the impact of the first scientifically-documented human-caused dead zone as a boy, when it killed the coral reefs I used to swim in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.
Now they are everywhere!
The key is to sustainable ocean dead zone carbon management is to stimulate the deep water upwelling kind, and suppress the coastal pollution kind.
Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD
President, Global Coral Reef Alliance
Chief Scientist, Biorock Technology Inc., Blue Regeneration SL
Technical Advisor, Blue Guardians Programme, SIDS DOCK
37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
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Phone: (1) 857-523-0807 (leave message)
Books:
Geotherapy: Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase
Innovative Methods of Marine Ecosystem Restoration
On the Nature of Things: The Scientific Photography of Fritz Goro
Geotherapy: Regenerating ecosystem services to reverse climate change
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From:
Carl Page <carl...@gmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 1:14 AM
To: Peter Fiekowsky <pfi...@gmail.com>
Cc: Bruce Melton -- Austin, Texas <bme...@earthlink.net>, Tom Goreau <gor...@globalcoral.org>, GRETCHEN & RON LARSON <rongre...@comcast.net>, Robert Tulip <rob...@rtulip.net>, John Nissen <johnnis...@gmail.com>, H simmens <hsim...@gmail.com>,
healthy-planet-action-coalition <healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com>, Planetary Restoration <planetary-...@googlegroups.com>, Healthy Climate Alliance <healthy-clim...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [HCA-list] Re: [prag] Re: [CDR] Scientific literature on carbon dioxide removal revealed as much larger through AI-enhanced systematic mapping
Dead zones due to human pollution are growing at an exponential rate.
Remember, a pessimist sees the glass half empty. An optimist half full.
An Engineer says it's overbuilt 2x.
An exponential thinker knows it's just one doubling time to spilling over.
On dead zones.
I was asked about marine mammals being the key source of the key nutrient nitrogen on the eastern seaboard. So i asked Gemini if i was right and as usual it says I'm brilliant. Flattery makes me suspicious tho.
Yes, marine mammals on the Eastern Seaboard, particularly in areas like the Gulf of Maine, can contribute more nitrogen to coastal ecosystems than rivers do.
Here's why:
- The "Whale Pump": Whales and seals, through their feeding and defecation near the surface, concentrate nitrogen in the euphotic (sunlit) zone, which stimulates primary productivity (growth of phytoplankton).
- Significant Nitrogen Input: Studies in the Gulf of Maine have estimated that whales and seals contribute more nitrogen to the surface waters than all rivers in the region combined.
- Contrast with Rivers: While rivers are a significant source of nitrogen to coastal waters, particularly from agricultural runoff and wastewater, marine mammals can provide a substantial, often overlooked, contribution to local nitrogen cycling.
- Important Ecosystem Service: Even with reduced populations compared to pre-commercial whaling eras, marine mammals continue to play a vital role in sustaining productivity in areas where they congregate in high densities.
In essence, while land-based sources are crucial, the "whale pump" demonstrates that marine mammals are also key players in the nitrogen cycle of Eastern Seaboard coastal ecosystems.
marine Eastern seaboard mammals nitrogen more than rivers 2025
Recent studies indicate that marine mammals along the Eastern Seaboard, particularly in the Gulf of Maine, contribute significantly to nitrogen cycling, in some cases exceeding the amount contributed by rivers. This is attributed to a phenomenon called the "whale pump," where whales and seals enhance primary productivity by releasing nutrient-rich fecal plumes near the surface after feeding at depth.
Species Profile Archives - Marine Mammal Commission
New Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) spotlight whale ...
What is the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone?
Species Profile Archives - Marine Mammal Commission
What is the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone?
However, the impact of nitrogen extends beyond this natural cycle. Human-caused nitrogen pollution, stemming from sources like agriculture, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition, poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems along the Eastern Seaboard. This excess nitrogen can lead to harmful algal blooms, oxygen-depleted "dead zones," and negatively impact marine life and habitats, including those essential to marine mammals.
While the "whale pump" demonstrates a natural and beneficial contribution of marine mammals to nitrogen cycling, it's crucial to acknowledge the detrimental effects of anthropogenic nitrogen pollution on their environment. Continued research and effective management strategies are essential to mitigate the negative impacts of human-derived nitrogen on these vital marine ecosystems and the mammal populations they support.
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On Thu, Jul 24, 2025, 1:54 PM Peter Fiekowsky <pfi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Bruce-
I think you represent a lot of the thinking on this list. Thank you for speaking out.
If and when we demonstrate that OIF, actually N-OIF, nitrogen fixing OIF, operates at less than $1 / ton CO2, would you then say that funders should focus N-OIF?
Who on this list would not be convinced by such a demonstration, and why?
Peter