Whales and carbon transport

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Tom Goreau

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Mar 10, 2025, 10:38:51 AM3/10/25
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Fluxes would have been “at least three times higher” before industrial whaling.

 

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 12, 2025, 12:18:35 AM3/12/25
to Carbon Dioxide Removal
Industrial Whaling and Fishing are the main reason why Photosynthesis / Primary Production in Oceans has decreased.
Decline in the Apex predators has reduced the recycling of the nutrients and micro-nutrients.

Decrease in Primary Production in Oceans is the main reason for accumulation of CO2 in the Atmosphere.
Restoring Primary Production in Oceans to historical peaks, and perhaps exceeding the peak to achieve the maximum possible,
is the best solution to consume the excess Carbon in Atmosphere and Oceans and convert it into Biomass in the Oceans. 

Regards

Bhaskar

Bru Pearce

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Mar 12, 2025, 5:27:39 AM3/12/25
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A chart of the whaling grounds drawn in 1884 – Note the light shading is abandoned grounds i.e. those in memory at that time, it is likely that if records had gone back further that much more of the oceans would have been in the same light shading!

 

snip_20170110143435Bru Pearce

 

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Map of Whaling Grounds 1884 from Whaling History.png

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 12, 2025, 10:38:31 AM3/12/25
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Thanks Bru

This map is of 1884.
I wonder what was the pre-Industrial, 1750, stock and annual production of Whales, Krill and Diatoms and
what was the all-time peak stock and annual production, over the past few millennia. 

Why can't we restore the Oceans to this level of biomass production?

Regards

Bhaskar
Director
Kadambari Consultants Pvt Ltd
Hyderabad. India
Ph. & WhatsApp : +91 92465 08213

Michael Hayes

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Mar 12, 2025, 11:06:17 AM3/12/25
to Bhaskar M V, Bru Pearce, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com

Bhaskar and list.

A member of this list once called for whale ranching, likely as a joke, yet setting up large integrated multi-trophic aquacultural sites that produce a wide variety of species simply for realease, so as to attract whales, is likely possible.

Using such artificial feeding grounds to help pull whales out of shipping lanes should also be seriously considered, both starvation and ship strikes are not helping. Engineered feeding grounds are used to pull deer and elk away from highways, and I have such a field next door. Doing the same for whales could likely earn a C credit, yet the MVR would likely be weak until lots of monitoring is in place.

Feeding whales would need to find some form of profit, preferably not whale meat, yet the needed tech is not a problem as it is currently being used on land, profitably, to feed humans.

How can profits be generated?


Bhaskar M V

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Mar 12, 2025, 10:42:34 PM3/12/25
to Tim Foresman, Bru Pearce, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla
Tim 

Thanks for sharing about Positive Polar.
We need many such initiatives to cover the whole ocean.

It will be good if you add restoration of Copepods, Krill, Fish and Whales to your objectives.
It is NOT possible to selectively restore the Ocean Biological Pump, without restoring Biomass in Oceans.

Nature is superior to us Humans.
We need to understand and obey the Laws of Nature,
Nature will NOT change its laws to suit our needs.

Regards

Bhaskar
Director
Kadambari Consultants Pvt Ltd
Hyderabad. India
Ph. & WhatsApp : +91 92465 08213


On Wed, Mar 12, 2025 at 9:17 PM Tim Foresman <fore...@earthparty.org> wrote:
Dear Bhaskar, Bru, and whale lovers:

Thanks for the 1884 world map. It was a different world back then with a litany of species going extinct every year. 

Whales and marine mammals have held a strong role in the marine ecosystem's dynamics including the carbon cycle. And therefore, it is refreshing to learn that one of HPAC's friends is leading an effort to rejuvenate the Whale Pump natural processing of co2 with the inauguration of Positive Polar
Positive Polar is the only cruise line enterprise that I know of who is dedicating their science and exploration to promote the welfare of whales and educate the Earth denizens to the carbon cycling role they play.
Please take a look at www.positivepolar.com and share with your colleagues and friends. The leaders of this enterprise are pioneers for whale recovering and carbon capture and deserve your attention. 
Cheers to all, Tim

Dr. Tim Foresman
6219 Rockburn Hill Road
Elkridge, Maryland 21075

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Cc: Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>; healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com <healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [HPAC] Re: [CDR] Re: Whales and carbon transport
 
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Bhaskar M V

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Mar 14, 2025, 11:10:11 PM3/14/25
to Tim Foresman, Bru Pearce, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla
Thank you Tim

We should target the Ocean Fisheries businesses, both Cage farming and open ocean fishing businesses.
They are removing fish but are not fertilizing the oceans to replace micro-nutrients harvested along with the fish.
Farmers use manure and fertilizer to replace the C, N and P, removed via the crop harvested.
Soil has silica and Micro-nutrients, so generally fertilizing soil with these is not necessary.
Paddy farmers use Zinc, since many Paddy farms in India become deficient in Zinc.

Cage fishing involves feeding the fish, 
the feed contains C, N & P, but does not contain Micro-nutrients / Trace Metals, Iron, Zinc, etc.
This is the reason why Cage fisheries are facing problems of 
algal blooms resulting in low DO, toxic algae, sedimentation of the feces of the fish, etc.

Ocean Fishers just catch and remove fish and do not compensate for the biomass removed.
The C, N and P removed is being indirectly restored via CO2 from Fuel and N and P in Sewage & Fertilizer runoff.
However, the micro-nutrients / Trace Meals removed are NOT being replaced.

This is why ALL Fishers need to dose Micro-nutrients, 
to ensure that Diatoms grow and consume the C, N and P and 
keep the water clean and enable sustainable production of fish.

Regards

Bhaskar
Director
Kadambari Consultants Pvt Ltd
Hyderabad. India
Ph. & WhatsApp : +91 92465 08213


On Fri, Mar 14, 2025 at 1:02 AM Tim Foresman <fore...@earthparty.org> wrote:
Dear Bhaskar: 
I include a degree in ecology in my academic and field experience. Of course, we are discussing the marine food chain with emphasis on the charismatic mega fauna and my favorite marine mammals. Pick your favorite plankton species and we will be in violent agreement. Just as India has chosen to follow the Green Revolution use of fertilizers, we are innovating for the greater good of the marine ecosystems with benefit of improving the carbon cycle.

The goal is careful proof of concept and attention to engineering scales. We are not broad brushing the ocean, but planting seas for broad adoption. If we convinced the IMO to remove sulfur from fuel (and this heated up the oceans a bit) we should not be shy about convincing the IMO to extend Whale Pump technology to all ocean going vessels. Obviously, there is much to do.  Please stay tuned to guilt-free ocean tourism combined with science.

Please feel free to offering other methods. 

Cheers, Tim

Dr. Tim Foresman
6219 Rockburn Hill Road
Elkridge, Maryland 21075

From: Bhaskar M V <bhaska...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 10:41 PM
To: Tim Foresman <fore...@earthparty.org>
Cc: Bru Pearce <b...@envisionation.org>; Carbon Dioxide Removal <carbondiox...@googlegroups.com>; healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com <healthy-planet-...@googlegroups.com>; Hugo Hinrichsen <hugo.hi...@positivepolar.com>; Jenn Bonilla <jenn.b...@positivepolar.com>
Subject: Re: [HPAC] Re: [CDR] Re: Whales and carbon transport
 

Bru Pearce

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Mar 17, 2025, 6:06:32 AM3/17/25
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I had not thought about this!

 

The stunning power of whale pee

 

snip_20170110143435Bru Pearce

 

E-mail   b...@envisionation.org  

Web www.envisionation.org  Visit to participate in the Biosphere Restoration Plan by acquiring Empathy Coin options.

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Information contained in this email and any files attached to it is confidential to the intended recipient and may be covered by legal professional privilege.  If you receive this email in error, please advise by return email before deleting it; you should not retain the email or disclose its contents to anyone.  Envisionation Ltd has taken reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of software viruses, but we recommend that any attachments are virus checked before they are opened.  Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 17, 2025, 7:51:54 AM3/17/25
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Bru

That is the problem. 
Very few are thinking through all the issues involved. 
CO2, N & P input into Oceans, & lakes, has increased. 
Algae are blooming.
However, Dissolved Oxygen & Fish are declining. 
Why ?

When algae bloom fish should consume the algae, so there ought to be a fish bloom.
Is the carbon goes into fish biomass, 
the oxygen ought to remain in the water, & increase the DO.
Why is this not happening?
Because the algae that is blooming is NOT being consumed by fish.

So the core question is which algae is food for fish, & how to grow it.

Regards 

Bhaskar 
image005.png
image006.jpg
image007.jpg

Bru Pearce

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Mar 17, 2025, 8:22:12 AM3/17/25
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Hi Bhaskar 

 

Disrupted and unbalanced ecosystems. Fish in the main are feeding at the first level on zooplankton that are the primary grazers of phytoplankton and if there are not enough of them, because they are being poisoned by the pollution of microplastics and forever chemicals that are most concentrated at the surface, then there is another break in the system.

 

So I think we should be looking at which algae supports zooplankton, and what we can do to improve their environment.

 

Best,

planktonkirby.jpg

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 17, 2025, 10:22:24 AM3/17/25
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Bru

Diatom Algae are the best food for Zooplankton and Fish. 
That is why our product Nualgi was invented, 
to grow Diatoms in a simple manner. 

Dr Bostwick Ketchum of WHOI is quoted to have said "All Fish is Diatom". 
I think he said this in 1940s.
Unfortunately no one paid attention to this.

Diatom - Krill - Whale food chain is called the "Food chain of the Giants".

Regards 

Bhaskar 

Tom Goreau

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Mar 17, 2025, 11:53:06 AM3/17/25
to Bru Pearce, Bhaskar M V, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla

Zooplankton mainly eat phytoplankton, but many filter feeding invertebrates such as oysters, consume diatoms directly, especially in coastal waters. Both food chains need to be stimulated to restore productivity and biogeochemical health.

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 17, 2025, 12:01:28 PM3/17/25
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Dr Goreau 

Most Zooplankton feed on Diatoms.
Krill are the most prolific Zooplankton, 
they feed on Diatoms.
Artemia, copepods, rotifers, foraminfera, etc, feed mainly on Diatoms. 

Newly hatched fish feed on Diatoms.
Diatoms are like mother's milk to newly hatched fish.
Diatoms increase the survival rate of newly hatched fish.

Diatoms require, and consume, more micro-nutrients, 
So they are more nutritious than other algae.

Lakes, Rivers, Oceans, etc, will NOT be clean until everyone accepts that Diatoms are superior to other phytoplankton. 

Regards 

Bhaskar 


Michael Hayes

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Mar 17, 2025, 2:45:35 PM3/17/25
to Bhaskar M V, Tom Goreau, Bru Pearce, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla

Membrane PBRs can use coastal treated sewage outfall streams to capture and utilize the nutrients for CDR work and agricultural:

An integrated algal membrane photobioreactor as a green-transition technology for the carbon capture and utilization

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213343722002172

The challange is not in the biology or processing technology but in the need for rapid lowest cost infrastructure scale-up.

The hull technology would benefit from being largely self-replicating at the basic materials level, and thick walled high density polyethylene hulls that generate bio-ethylene via internal operations should fit the definition of a largely self-replicating infrastructure at the basic materials level. Biorock is also a largely self-replicating building material, and biorock production likely can be a benefit to microalgal production outputs and used as external armor for HDPE mPBRs. 

Building robust and long lasting, largely self-replicating, C negative mPBRs specifically for coastal outfall upgrades is likely achievable with current technologies, as would be using the sewage outfall feedstock to help feed the whales clean feed. We are already feeding them our crap, let's upgrade the menu mCDR style.

Below is an example of what large mPBR hulls would look like:

https://youtu.be/qXtVQWHgNig?si=49DICUSB0ZN4MFsa



image003.jpg

Bhaskar M V

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Mar 17, 2025, 10:38:12 PM3/17/25
to Michael Hayes, Tom Goreau, Bru Pearce, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla
Using PBRs will make the system expensive and inflexible.
The right solution is to grow Diatom Algae in the OPEN Ocean.

Regards

Bhaskar
Director
Kadambari Consultants Pvt Ltd
Hyderabad. India
Ph. & WhatsApp : +91 92465 08213

Michael Hayes

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Mar 17, 2025, 11:10:31 PM3/17/25
to Bhaskar M V, Tom Goreau, Bru Pearce, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla

Bhaskar et al.,

Doing both is technically possible, yet reactors offer more environmental control and thus better crops growth and accounting and many more potential downstream coproducts.

Moreover, reactors likely provide maximum flexibility concerning crops that get grown. I don't understand how reactors would limit flexibility. Can you explain your view on that point?

Kevin Wolf

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Mar 17, 2025, 11:54:50 PM3/17/25
to Michael Hayes, Bhaskar M V, Tom Goreau, Bru Pearce, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla
Michael,

To me it is a matter of scale and cost. How about we fertilize the ocean to grow more large diatoms. Warming oceans is causing them to need more iron and other minerals to multiply.   More diatom production results in more zooplankton like krill and fish.  Don't worry about MRV because the funding for the mineral applications will comes rom governments and foundationd that want to see healthier more productive oceans with natural carbon sequestration being a sweet but secondary benefit.  Being able to add clay dust or other mixes of minerals to hundreds of sites each thousands of square miles in size allows for a massive and rapid scaling with little investment in infrastructure. The increase in fish and whales will drive the funding.

Kevn



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Bhaskar M V

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Mar 18, 2025, 2:37:53 AM3/18/25
to Michael Hayes, Tom Goreau, Bru Pearce, Tim Foresman, Carbon Dioxide Removal, healthy-planet-action-coalition, Hugo Hinrichsen, Jenn Bonilla
Michael 

The PBRs would be fixed structures, floating on the surface. 

They have to be located in places that don't conflict with boats and ships, recreational boats, fishing trawlers, commercial ships, etc.

PBRs may be damaged due to storms.

When PBRs are used people target growing particular species of algae, this requires prevention of contamination, this adds to the cost, downtime when contamination takes place, etc.

The PBRs have to be cleaned periodically. 

Volume of water in a PBR would be a fraction of the water in the open ocean.

Just look at photos of cage farms / mariculture & read about the cost and problems in maintaining them.

Regards 

Bhaskar 
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