The Northwest Passage opens for bowhead whales

Biol Lett. 2012 Apr 23;8(2):270-3. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0731. Epub 2011 Sep 21.

Abstract

The loss of Arctic sea ice is predicted to open up the Northwest Passage, shortening shipping routes and facilitating the exchange of marine organisms between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Here, we present the first observations of distribution overlap of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the two oceans in the Northwest Passage, demonstrating this route is already connecting whales from two populations that have been assumed to be separated by sea ice. Previous satellite tracking has demonstrated that bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska enter the ice-infested channels of the Canadian High Arctic during summer. In August 2010, two bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska entered the Northwest Passage from opposite directions and spent approximately 10 days in the same area, documenting overlap between the two populations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Migration*
  • Animals
  • Arctic Regions
  • Bowhead Whale / physiology*
  • Canada
  • Global Warming
  • Male
  • Oceans and Seas
  • Remote Sensing Technology
  • Seasons