2024-02-10 05:00:13
Faced with disasters likely to drastically reduce the Earth’s sunshine, such as a major volcanic eruption or nuclear war, international researchers have identified a food source capable of sustaining humanity: marine algae. Rich in nutrients, these organisms could play a key role in preventing global famine if sunlight is abruptly reduced, according to a recent study published in the journal Earth’s Future.
Algae, notably Gracilaria tikvahiae, or graceful red algae, have shown remarkable resilience, able to survive and thrive even in all-out nuclear war scenarios. The researchers, from the Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters, Louisiana State University in the United States, the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of the Philippines, and the University of Canterbury in the United Kingdom, developed a model to simulate the growth of this algae using post-disaster climate data.
According to this study, even in the hypothesis of a nuclear winter with emissions of 150 Tg of soot into the atmosphere, enough sunlight would remain to allow algae to photosynthesize. This finding suggests that, despite reduced levels of sunlight, algae could meet around 45% of global food needs after just nine months of intensified production. However, the high iodine content of algae limits its contribution to human nutrition to 15%.
Algae not only offer subsistence potential in extreme scenarios but also represent an important source of nutrition currently, rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids and fatty acids. Their ability to absorb contaminants can be mitigated by post-harvest processing methods, ensuring their safety for human consumption.
Overall distribution of Gracilaria tikvahiae growth clusters in a 150 Tg nuclear war scenario. Colors indicate different clusters. White areas indicate missing data.
Credit: Earth’s Future (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023EF003710
Seaweed production supports many poor coastal communities in low-income countries, with Asia making a significant contribution to global production. This research highlights the importance of developing seaweed farms as a precautionary measure against global disasters and as an element of global food security.
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