What is a whale fall, and how does it affect the deep-sea environment?

Have you ever wondered what happens when the largest mammal on water takes its last breath? Yes. When a whale, especially the blue whale dies, its body floats on the ocean water for a while, before taking its final fall. This process is called a whale fall. But wait, there’s more to it. Even after death, the whale proves to be of great use in sustaining the marine ecosystem. If a whale fall confuses you or makes you curious, then here’s all you need to know about this unique phenomenon.

How does a whale fall affect the marine ecosystem?

The blue whale is generally considered to be the largest among the whales. They are known to survive for decades. Once old, they separate from their group and spend their last days alone. Once dead, they normally do not drop off to the ocean floor immediately. Bodily gases start forming inside the carcass decomposing it, and once the skeletal structure can hold no longer, the whale takes its final fall – the whale fall – to the ocean floor. The depth is way beyond 1000 m. One can expect to find a whale fall depth at around 3000+ metres below the sea level. Once on the ocean bead, it becomes home to thousands of underwater micro-organisms even leading to be the reason to discover newer species.

A whale fall is that boost to biodiversity that you didn’t think you needed to know about. But it houses micro-organisms like arthropods, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms, nematodes and more. Even though the carcass falls on the ocean floor, the flesh is still intact in most cases. This becomes food for thousands of tiny organisms living in the water. As they feed on the carcass, they are not only scavengers, cleaning the ocean floor but also thriving as micro-species in their own terms. In fact in the 1850s, it was the presence of this micro-species, a new variety, which was discovered on a floating whale part in the ocean that led scientists and researchers to discover whale fall and consider it as serious research. Today with advanced technologies, researchers have been able to locate exact spots of whale fall and dive deep into the space, observing, noting and finding out facts from this unique ecosystem that might help the planet lead a better life in the future.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.