What is the great whale conveyor belt?

The Great Whale Conveyor Belt is the Earth's largest long-distance nutrient transport system. During summer, migratory whales feed in cold, food-rich waters near the poles, storing up large reserves of blubber. In preparation for winter, they migrate towards warm water near the equators, using their fat stores for energy rather than relying on food intake lone. This means that blubber created from nutrients in the polar regions is excreted as nitrogenous and carbon-based waste products, thus shifting the nutrients from the poles towards the equator. Scientists attempted to quantify this effect in a 2025 paper, showing that even a single whale transports a significant amount of nutrients. Taken en mass, it is enough to drastically shape the ocean ecosystems.

https://whalescientists.com/the-great-whale-conveyor-belt/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2