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And it's a good thing, too, because scientists are just beginning to realize the power sea otters have when it comes to helping the ecosystems that surround them thrive.
Sea otters may be extremely cute, but that did not stop mercenary fur traders from hunting them to near extinction over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries.
At one point, there were as few as 2,000 sea otters left in the world’s oceans. Since then, thankfully, conservation efforts have allowed the species space to rebound.
In the 1970s, a marine ecologist from the University of California went diving in the Aleutian Islands. He made an important observation about the kelp there.
He noticed that in areas where there were no sea otters, the kelp forest was little more than an underwater desert. In areas where sea otters abounded, the kelp flourished.
There are two key ecosystems that would struggle to survive without the presence of sea otters. The first is kelp forests.
The reason that kelp thrives in the presence of sea otters has to do with their insatiable appetite. They have a very high metabolic rate and therefore have to eat constantly.
In describing his discovery, the scientist said: “Just in my own soul, it was an important thing. I felt like I had learned something that was fairly remarkable.”
They even enter a dormant state once all the kelp has been destroyed, waiting until it resprouts so they can slash through the fresh new algae once again.
The second ecosystem that benefits from the presence of sea otters is seagrass. In areas where seagrass abounds, sea otters tend to feed on crabs.
With fewer crabs about, the slugs and snails that they prey on are able to thrive. And this is great for seagrass, because the slugs and snails help it to grow in a rather miraculous way.
Slugs and snails don’t normally eat seagrass. Instead, they scrape away the algae that grows on it, allowing more light to reach the plant and thus helping it grow.
You’re probably wondering how this all contributes to the fight against climate change. Sure, sea otters help with biodiversity, but with climate change itself?
This in turn impacts kelp, because kelp is a favorite dish of the sea urchins. They chew through its base and allow the rest of the giant seaweed to float away.
The answer to this lies in the ability of kelp and seagrass to sequester carbon. Like all plants, as kelp grows it absorbs and stores carbon from the atmosphere.
In these cases, the carbon sinks to the ocean floor with the kelp and does not resurface, meaning that it cannot be released back into the atmosphere and damage the climate.
Seagrass is also great at carbon sequestration. It absorbs the carbon as it grows and traps it in its roots.
Sea kelp also has the added benefit that it grows really fast, meaning that it absorbs more carbon than many other plants in the first place.
The power of sea otters to help fight climate change, then, lies in their ability to enable plants that are great at carbon sequestration to thrive.
When those roots die, the carbon becomes trapped in the sediments and it can take hundreds of years or more to convert it back into its gaseous form.
In other cases, however, the dead kelp sinks to the ocean floor and stays there, sometimes for thousands of years.
Although exactly how much carbon these plants sequester is unknown, even lower estimates are promising.
There are still a few unknowns regarding the future of sea otters and their role in the fight against climate change. What is clear is that these cute ocean-dwellers have great potential.
Sources: (BBC) (National Geographic)
See also: Floating gardens: Bangladesh's answer to climate change
The sea otter is a member of the weasel family that can often be found chilling out on its back along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia.
It might be possible to find a win-win solution, however. For example, it may be possible to use the money generated by sea otter carbon offsets to compensate fisheries that lose out.
According to the BBC, if only 1% of kelp between the Aleutians and Vancouver Island is stored at the bottom of the oceans, that’s enough to offset the emissions of 100,000 combustion-powered automobiles.
Despite their climate-saving abilities, the reintroduction of sea otters is not popular with all parties. For example, their huge appetites have implications for fishing opportunities.
One of the favorite dishes of the sea otter is sea urchins. They are tasty, easy to catch, and high in energy. When sea otters dwindle, sea urchins flourish.
In some cases when kelp dies, the plant washes ashore and the carbon is returned to the atmosphere as the kelp decomposes.
Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters were hunted to near extinction. Since then, conservation efforts have helped them make a strong comeback, and it's a good thing, too. Aside from being outrageously cute, these seaborne weasels play an important role in supporting the ecosystems that we can use to help fight climate change.
Intrigued? Then check out this gallery to find out how sea otters can help our world.
How sea otters can help fight climate change
Learn how these marine mammals support our planet's health
LIFESTYLE Global warming
Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters were hunted to near extinction. Since then, conservation efforts have helped them make a strong comeback, and it's a good thing, too. Aside from being outrageously cute, these seaborne weasels play an important role in supporting the ecosystems that we can use to help fight climate change.
Intrigued? Then check out this gallery to find out how sea otters can help our world.