Associations between oceanographic processes and humpback whale entanglement in Southeast Queensland shark-control nets ...
East Australian humpback whales undertake lengthy annual migrations, which require sophisticated navigation abilities. These are likely influenced by the interplay between spatial memory and responses to contemporaneous environmental cues, such as water temperature and ocean currents. The physical o...
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| Format: | Bachelor Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2018
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.25907/00297 https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/outputs/undergraduate/99450669502621 |
| Summary: | East Australian humpback whales undertake lengthy annual migrations, which require sophisticated navigation abilities. These are likely influenced by the interplay between spatial memory and responses to contemporaneous environmental cues, such as water temperature and ocean currents. The physical oceanography of the Australian east coast is dominated by the East Australian Current (EAC). The EAC's inner boundary is characterised by a sharp temperature gradient, which may serve as a navigational tool for migrating humpbacks. Humpback whales encounter numerous anthropogenic threats along their migratory route, including entanglement in shark-control nets. This study provides a quantitative spatio-temporal analysis of the influence of the EAC on the probability of entanglements in shark-control nets. We use satellite-derived seasurface temperature (SST), an ocean model, and humpback whale entanglement data from the Queensland Shark Control Program, focusing on entanglements in Southeast Queensland since 2001. ... |
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