Why Sea Otters Are Vital To Underwater Ecosystems

They may be cute, but they’re helping to combat climate change the only way they know how.

Transcript

00:00Sea otters may be cute and adorable to watch floating around on their backs, but these

00:08water-faring mammals are helping to combat global warming.

00:11And they're doing it by promoting the growth of sea kelp.

00:14And since you're no doubt asking yourself how, here's the assistant manager for the

00:17Sea Otter Research Program at Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jessica Fuji, to explain.

00:22Yeah, so we saw a big increase in urchins in the area, and if they go unchecked, they

00:29can create what's called an urchin barren, which is basically the seafloor will be rocks

00:36and just covered in urchins, and kelp is unable to grow.

00:40But by otters eating those urchins, they're able to keep those numbers in check and allow

00:44the kelp forest to be healthy and flourish.

00:48Sea kelp, like many ocean plants, sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.

00:51So by enjoying an all-they-can-eat buffet of the bottom feeders, the sea otters are

00:55clearing out much-needed underwater landscapes for fields of sea kelp.

00:59An ecosystem already under threat by warming oceans and acidifying waters, and this area

01:04in the Elkhorn Slough Estuary in California is a case study in how effective sea otters

01:08can be.

01:09As the area is now a haven where more than 100 endangered sea otters, many rehabilitated

01:14by the aquarium, are now chowing down on urchins and doing their part to balance an ecosystem

01:19on the verge of collapse.