Why Whales?

Gamification of role of whales in carbon sequestration and climatic impact

BeFantastic Together is online fellowship program which is focussed on exploring the ongoing climate emergency to craft project prototypes using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies.

As a part of the BeFantastic Together fellowship we, the Ocean Drifters Group, came together to bring forth the cause of Whale conservation, which is one of the low cost effective solutions to Climate crisis according to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Whales help to mitigate climate change by capturing and storing carbon which is the most significant climate change-causing greenhouse gas.

Imagined as a mesmerising physical exhibition accompanied by an AR adventure book, Whale Tales uses AI generated visuals to tickle the curiosity of adults and children alike and encourage its audiences to become emotionally invested in the conservation of whales.

See Project Video

Live Whales

33 tons*

Whale Carcass

1.9x105 tons

Climate impact

1500+ trees

Phytoplanktons

37x109 tons**

* Amount of CO2 sequestered/captured in a lifetime per whale

** Amount of CO2 sequestered/captured in a lifetime by phytoplanktons



How whales help climate

Whales are the rainforests of the ocean!
  • Whales capture a significant amount of carbon from the atmosphere. Great whales mostly eat phytoplankton, a microscopic plant that changes sunlight and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen.
  • Over its lifetime of around 60 years, a single whale can collect around 33 tons of carbon dioxide. A tree can absorb up to 22kgs of carbon dioxide a year.
  • When whales excrete, the nutrients (iron and nitrogen) released encourage phytoplankton growth which attracts fish and other creatures, which is called “whale pump.”
  • Phytoplankton are very important. They contribute at least 50% of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and capture an estimated 37 billion tons of all carbon dioxide produced, the same amount of carbon dioxide captured by 1.7 trillion trees!
  • Even when whales die (naturally), they are helping the environment. The bodies sink to the seafloor, and the carbon stored in them can feed deep-sea ecosystems and become locked into the seafloor, with carbon being locked away for hundreds of years.
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