Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area
During summer, the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) population aggregates in the waters of the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA). Guided by local communities’ priorities, this study aimed to better understand beluga summer ha...
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Canadian Science Publishing
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b 2023-05-15T14:23:49+02:00 Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area Aurélie Noel John Iacozza Emmanuel Devred Marianne Marcoux Claire Hornby Lisa L. Loseto 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0003 https://doaj.org/article/3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b EN FR eng fre Canadian Science Publishing https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2022-0003 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2022-0003 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b Arctic Science, Vol 8, Iss 4, Pp 1305-1319 (2022) Resource Selection Function beluga whales summer habitat TNMPA species distribution model fonction de sélection de ressources Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0003 2022-12-30T21:13:34Z During summer, the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) population aggregates in the waters of the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA). Guided by local communities’ priorities, this study aimed to better understand beluga summer habitat selection and to examine whether shifts in beluga distribution are expected under a changing climate. We used a resource selection function (RSF) based on aerial survey data and satellite remote sensing images to estimate the likelihood of beluga presence as a function of environmental conditions. The RSF revealed that belugas selected warm and turbid waters, with suspended particulate matter concentrations and sea surface temperatures ranging above average estuarine values. These specific conditions support hypotheses on the ecological roles of estuaries for belugas such as providing a thermal advantage for their calves or for beluga epidermal moulting. Using a diachronic analysis, we found a distribution shift towards coastal and inshore waters, areas already experiencing effects of climate change. Thus, the current distribution may reflect beluga responses to a changing climate, selecting warmer and more turbid areas. Our finding provides insight into current and evolving beluga habitat and habitat selection under a changing climate, which may help inform beluga management in the TNMPA. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Science |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English French |
topic |
Resource Selection Function beluga whales summer habitat TNMPA species distribution model fonction de sélection de ressources Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
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Resource Selection Function beluga whales summer habitat TNMPA species distribution model fonction de sélection de ressources Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 Aurélie Noel John Iacozza Emmanuel Devred Marianne Marcoux Claire Hornby Lisa L. Loseto Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
topic_facet |
Resource Selection Function beluga whales summer habitat TNMPA species distribution model fonction de sélection de ressources Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
description |
During summer, the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) population aggregates in the waters of the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA). Guided by local communities’ priorities, this study aimed to better understand beluga summer habitat selection and to examine whether shifts in beluga distribution are expected under a changing climate. We used a resource selection function (RSF) based on aerial survey data and satellite remote sensing images to estimate the likelihood of beluga presence as a function of environmental conditions. The RSF revealed that belugas selected warm and turbid waters, with suspended particulate matter concentrations and sea surface temperatures ranging above average estuarine values. These specific conditions support hypotheses on the ecological roles of estuaries for belugas such as providing a thermal advantage for their calves or for beluga epidermal moulting. Using a diachronic analysis, we found a distribution shift towards coastal and inshore waters, areas already experiencing effects of climate change. Thus, the current distribution may reflect beluga responses to a changing climate, selecting warmer and more turbid areas. Our finding provides insight into current and evolving beluga habitat and habitat selection under a changing climate, which may help inform beluga management in the TNMPA. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Aurélie Noel John Iacozza Emmanuel Devred Marianne Marcoux Claire Hornby Lisa L. Loseto |
author_facet |
Aurélie Noel John Iacozza Emmanuel Devred Marianne Marcoux Claire Hornby Lisa L. Loseto |
author_sort |
Aurélie Noel |
title |
Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
title_short |
Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
title_full |
Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
title_fullStr |
Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
title_full_unstemmed |
Environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the Mackenzie Estuary and Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area |
title_sort |
environmental drivers of beluga whale distribution in a changing climate: a case study of summering aggregations in the mackenzie estuary and tarium niryutait marine protected area |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0003 https://doaj.org/article/3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b |
genre |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Arctic Science, Vol 8, Iss 4, Pp 1305-1319 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2022-0003 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2022-0003 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0003 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
_version_ |
1766296293648367616 |