Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) movements are often driven by the availability of their prey in space and time. While globally blue whale populations undertake long-range migrations between feeding and breeding grounds, those in the northern Indian Ocean remain in low latitude waters throughout t...
Published in: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2014
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://doaj.org/article/5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa 2023-05-15T15:36:20+02:00 Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 Asha de Vos Charitha B. Pattiaratchi Robert G. Harcourt 2014-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://doaj.org/article/5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa EN eng MDPI AG http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/2/3/534 https://doaj.org/toc/2077-1312 2077-1312 doi:10.3390/jmse2030534 https://doaj.org/article/5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Vol 2, Iss 3, Pp 534-550 (2014) Balaenoptera musculus krill upwelling northern Indian Ocean inter-annual variation climate change Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering VM1-989 Oceanography GC1-1581 article 2014 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 2022-12-31T10:25:30Z Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) movements are often driven by the availability of their prey in space and time. While globally blue whale populations undertake long-range migrations between feeding and breeding grounds, those in the northern Indian Ocean remain in low latitude waters throughout the year with the implication that the productivity of these waters is sufficient to support their energy needs. A part of this population remains around Sri Lanka where they are usually recorded close to the southern coast during the Northeast Monsoon. To investigate inter-annual variability in sighting locations, we conducted systematic Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) and visual surveys between January–March 2011 and January–March 2012. In 2011, there was a notable decrease in inshore sightings compared to 2009 and 2012 (p < 0.001). CTD data revealed that in 2011 there was increased freshwater in the upper water column accompanied by deeper upwelling than in 2012. We hypothesise that anomalous rainfall, along with higher turbidity resulting from river discharge, affected the productivity of the inshore waters and caused a shift in blue whale prey and, consequently, the distribution of the whales themselves. An understanding of how predators and their prey respond to environmental variability is important for predicting how these species will respond to long-term changes. This is especially important given the rapid temperature increases predicted for the semi-enclosed northern Indian Ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Indian Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2 3 534 550 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Balaenoptera musculus krill upwelling northern Indian Ocean inter-annual variation climate change Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering VM1-989 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
spellingShingle |
Balaenoptera musculus krill upwelling northern Indian Ocean inter-annual variation climate change Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering VM1-989 Oceanography GC1-1581 Asha de Vos Charitha B. Pattiaratchi Robert G. Harcourt Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
topic_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus krill upwelling northern Indian Ocean inter-annual variation climate change Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering VM1-989 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
description |
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) movements are often driven by the availability of their prey in space and time. While globally blue whale populations undertake long-range migrations between feeding and breeding grounds, those in the northern Indian Ocean remain in low latitude waters throughout the year with the implication that the productivity of these waters is sufficient to support their energy needs. A part of this population remains around Sri Lanka where they are usually recorded close to the southern coast during the Northeast Monsoon. To investigate inter-annual variability in sighting locations, we conducted systematic Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) and visual surveys between January–March 2011 and January–March 2012. In 2011, there was a notable decrease in inshore sightings compared to 2009 and 2012 (p < 0.001). CTD data revealed that in 2011 there was increased freshwater in the upper water column accompanied by deeper upwelling than in 2012. We hypothesise that anomalous rainfall, along with higher turbidity resulting from river discharge, affected the productivity of the inshore waters and caused a shift in blue whale prey and, consequently, the distribution of the whales themselves. An understanding of how predators and their prey respond to environmental variability is important for predicting how these species will respond to long-term changes. This is especially important given the rapid temperature increases predicted for the semi-enclosed northern Indian Ocean. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Asha de Vos Charitha B. Pattiaratchi Robert G. Harcourt |
author_facet |
Asha de Vos Charitha B. Pattiaratchi Robert G. Harcourt |
author_sort |
Asha de Vos |
title |
Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
title_short |
Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
title_full |
Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
title_fullStr |
Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Inter-Annual Variability in Blue Whale Distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
title_sort |
inter-annual variability in blue whale distribution off southern sri lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://doaj.org/article/5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa |
geographic |
Indian |
geographic_facet |
Indian |
genre |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Vol 2, Iss 3, Pp 534-550 (2014) |
op_relation |
http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/2/3/534 https://doaj.org/toc/2077-1312 2077-1312 doi:10.3390/jmse2030534 https://doaj.org/article/5266006b597242a48f4ed2e32d20b7fa |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 |
container_title |
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
container_volume |
2 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
534 |
op_container_end_page |
550 |
_version_ |
1766366680514035712 |