Northeasternmost record of a North Pacific fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Alaskan Chukchi Sea

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Crance, Jessica L., Berchok, Catherine L., Bonnel, Julien, Thode, Aaron M.
• Other Authors: National Marine Mammal Laboratory (MML), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Lab-STICC_ENSTAB_CID_TOMS, Laboratoire des sciences et techniques de l'information, de la communication et de la connaissance (Lab-STICC), Université européenne de Bretagne - European University of Brittany (UEB)-École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB)-Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Télécom Bretagne-Institut Brestois du Numérique et des Mathématiques (IBNM), Université de Brest (UBO)-École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées Bretagne (ENSTA Bretagne)-Institut Mines-Télécom Paris (IMT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université européenne de Bretagne - European University of Brittany (UEB)-École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB)-Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Télécom Bretagne-Institut Brestois du Numérique et des Mathématiques (IBNM), Université de Brest (UBO)-École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées Bretagne (ENSTA Bretagne)-Institut Mines-Télécom Paris (IMT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO - UC San Diego), University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Fin whale Chukchi Sea Passive acoustics Distribution Vocalization Arctic; [SPI.ACOU]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Acoustics [physics.class-ph]; [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; Arctic; Barrow Canyon; Bering Sea; Bering Strait; Chukchi Sea; Pacific; Balaenoptera physalus; Chukchi; Fin whale; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01164318; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1719-7

International audience Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the North Pacific consistently range as far north as the Bering Sea. While occasional sightings of fin whales occur north of the Bering Strait, they are rarely documented north of 67°N. However, a recent increase in passive acoustic monitoring has shown that fin whales are more prevalent in the Chukchi Sea than previously thought. During a 2012 field survey in the Alaskan Chukchi Sea, fin whale calls were detected on a DiFAR sonobuoy deployed at 71.575°N, 157.823°W, 50 km off Barrow near the mouth of Barrow Canyon. On August 27, 2012, approximately 30 fin whale downsweep calls were detected over an hour and a half, at bearings of approximately 270–290° from the sonobuoy. Since only one sonobuoy was deployed, in situ localization of the calls was not possible. Post hoc range estimates using a combination of modal dispersion techniques, nonlinear time-domain warping, and geoacoustic inversion resulted in a source range estimate of less than 5 km. This location is approximately 280 and 365 km northeast of the previous closest acoustic detection and confirmed visual sighting of a fin whale, respectively. These results represent the farthest northeast record of fin whale calls in the Alaskan Arctic and illustrate the importance of continued passive acoustic monitoring in a rapidly changing environment.