Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait ...

Abstract Background Climate change is warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the planet. Shifts in whale migration timing have been linked to climate change in temperate and sub-Arctic regions, and evidence suggests Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) might be overw...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Szesciorka, Angela R., Stafford, Kathleen M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: figshare 2024
Subjects:
Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
Ecology
FOS: Biological sciences
Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified
Marine Biology
Inorganic Chemistry
FOS: Chemical sciences
Arctic
Bering Sea
Bering Strait
Chukchi Sea
Balaena mysticetus
Beaufort Sea
bowhead whale
Chukchi
Climate change
Sea ice
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6580049.v1
https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Sea_ice_directs_changes_in_bowhead_whale_phenology_through_the_Bering_Strait/6580049/1
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Summary:Abstract Background Climate change is warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the planet. Shifts in whale migration timing have been linked to climate change in temperate and sub-Arctic regions, and evidence suggests Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) might be overwintering in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Methods We used an 11-year timeseries (spanning 2009–2021) of BCB bowhead whale presence in the southern Chukchi Sea (inferred from passive acoustic monitoring) to explore relationships between migration timing and sea ice in the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Results Fall southward migration into the Bering Strait was delayed in years with less mean October Chukchi Sea ice area and earlier in years with greater sea ice area (p = 0.04, r2 = 0.40). Greater mean October–December Bering Sea ice area resulted in longer absences between whales migrating south in the fall and north in the spring (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.85). A stepwise shift after 2012–2013 shows some whales are remaining in ...

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