The Blob and the Blues: Analyzing the Impact of a Marine Heatwave on Blue Whale Behavioral Patterns Between Two Foraging Hotspots Along the California Current - Monterey Bay and Cordell Bank ...
Between 2013 and 2016, the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem experienced the longest marine heatwave event ever recorded in this region. Nicknamed The Blob, this extended period of abnormally high sea surface temperatures had detrimental impacts on many of the species that inhabit this ecosy...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | unknown |
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Stanford Digital Repository
2024
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.25740/tw573gd8633 https://purl.stanford.edu/tw573gd8633 |
| Summary: | Between 2013 and 2016, the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem experienced the longest marine heatwave event ever recorded in this region. Nicknamed The Blob, this extended period of abnormally high sea surface temperatures had detrimental impacts on many of the species that inhabit this ecosystem. Through a combined analysis of oceanographic and acoustic data collected from 2015 – 2018, this study aimed to determine how The Blob marine heatwave event impacted the largest species on the planet – the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). An endangered species, blue whales feed selectively on krill and conduct an annual migration between breeding locations in the south and foraging hotspots in the north. Two of these foraging hotspots, Monterey Bay and Cordell Bank, both within the California Current, were considered within this study. These hotspots were chosen because they are each home to a hydrophone (underwater microphone), which were used to determine blue whale acoustic presence. I found that blue ... |
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