What we can learn from whale poo and earwax - The Climate Question podcast, BBC World Service

Think you know a lot about whales? Find out just HOW much with our quiz! And discover how whales are victims – and heroes – of our changing climate. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Scientists studying whales are uncovering new clues about how the ocean stores carbon — and what climate change is doing to marine ecosystems. From the food they eat to where their waste and bodies end up, whales help move carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea, where it can be locked away for centuries. Their presence can shape entire marine ecosystems, influencing how much carbon the ocean absorbs from the atmosphere. In this episode of The Climate Question, Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore what whales can tell us about climate change — and how warming oceans may be affecting them in turn. Graihagh and Jordan speak to Victoria Gill, BBC Science Correspondent, about new research analysing Antarctic seabed samples to trace how whale populations influence long-term carbon storage. And Helen Czerski, physicist, oceanographer and author of Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World, explains one of the most unexpected scientific records of all: whale earwax — and how it reveals their stress levels in a changing ocean. Did whale poo and ear wax give you the ick? Let us know in the comments — and tell us what climate question we should tackle next 👇 00:00 Whales and climate change: what’s the connection? 02:50 How long do whale songs last? 05:30 How do whales sleep? 06:30 Why climate scientists study whales 10:44 How are whale populations doing? 13:23 The importance of whale poop! 17:50 How earwax shows whales’ stress levels 22:30 Are whales stressed by climate change? Watch more episodes from The Climate Question here 👉    • The Climate Question   ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #Whales #Antarctica #HumpbackWhales #WhaleSong #BlueWhales #Dolphins #CarbonStorage #CarbonCycle #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #WhalePoo #Earwax #Whaling #Krill