Upriver sightings of beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas) follow storm surges and high water in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Scharffenberg, Kevin C., MacPhee, Shannon A., Loseto, Lisa L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2021
• Subjects: Aklavik; Arctic; Canada; Mackenzie Delta; Mackenzie River; Northwest Territories; Beaufort Sea; Beluga; Beluga*; Delphinapterus leucas; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/as-2020-0010; https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/as-2020-0010; https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/as-2020-0010

Each summer, Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) form a large congregation in the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA) in the Mackenzie River estuary, a behaviour thought to be linked to warm, freshwater conditions. In 2018, >50 belugas were observe...