Spring partitioning of Disko Bay, West Greenland, by Arctic and Subarctic baleen whales

• Published in: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Main Authors: Laidre, Kristin L., Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2012
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Balaena mysticetus; baleen whales; Climate change; Disko Bay; Megaptera novaeangliae; Sea ice; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fss095; http://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article-pdf/69/7/1226/29146334/fss095.pdf

Abstract Laidre, K. L., and Heide-Jørgensen, M. P. 2012. Spring partitioning of Disko Bay, West Greenland, by Arctic and Subarctic baleen whales. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: . Movements of co-occurring bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales in Disko Bay, West Greenland, were examined using satellite telemetry. Data on movements, habitat use, and phenology were collected from tagged 49 bowheads and 44 humpbacks during the transition from sea-ice breakup to open water between 2008 and 2010. Bowhead whales began their northward spring migration around 27 May (median day-of-the-year departure date = 147, interquartile range 141–153) and were distributed broadly in northern and central Disko Bay in water depths between 100 and 400 m. Humpback whales arrived in Disko Bay no later than 2 June and were located in shallow water (<100 m) along the coasts of the mainland or Disko Island. Trends in departure date from Disko Bay were significant for bowhead whales (∼15 d later, p < 0.001) between two periods: 2001–2006 and 2008–2010. Many species are predicted to arrive earlier in the Arctic and to expand their range northwards with reduced sea ice and increasing temperatures under climate change. Quantifying the spatial and temporal relationships between co-occurring Arctic and Subarctic top predators allows for baseline insight to be gained on how climate change might alter interspecies interactions.