Northwest Passage opens for bowhead whales

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) f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2012-04, Vol.8 (2), p.270-273
Main Authors: Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter, Laidre, Kristin L, Quakenbush, Lori T, Citta, John J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Migration
Animals
Arctic
Arctic Regions
Balaena mysticetus
Bowhead Whale
Bowhead Whale - physiology
Canada
Climate Change
Global Change Biology
Global Warming
ice
Male
Marine
migratory behavior
Northwest Passage
oceans
Oceans and Seas
Remote Sensing Technology
Sea Ice
Seasons
summer
whales
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1744-9561
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0731