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...
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Online Access: | https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/1682d330-559d-4f1c-91c6-ea41e1e73ab4 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/16790592/mq-37858-Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908617736&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftmacquarieunicr:oai:https://researchers.mq.edu.au:publications/1682d330-559d-4f1c-91c6-ea41e1e73ab4 2024-05-12T08:01:31+00:00 Inter-annual variability in blue whale distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 de Vos, Asha Pattiaratch, Charitha B. Harcourt, Robert G. 2014-09 application/pdf https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/1682d330-559d-4f1c-91c6-ea41e1e73ab4 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/16790592/mq-37858-Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908617736&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess de Vos , A , Pattiaratch , C B & Harcourt , R G 2014 , ' Inter-annual variability in blue whale distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 ' , Journal of marine science and engineering , vol. 2 , no. 3 , pp. 534-550 . https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 Balaenoptera musculus Climate change Inter-annual variation Krill Northern Indian Ocean Upwelling article 2014 ftmacquarieunicr https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 2024-04-16T02:57:29Z 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 Macquarie University Research Portal Indian Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2 3 534 550 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Macquarie University Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftmacquarieunicr |
language |
English |
topic |
Balaenoptera musculus Climate change Inter-annual variation Krill Northern Indian Ocean Upwelling |
spellingShingle |
Balaenoptera musculus Climate change Inter-annual variation Krill Northern Indian Ocean Upwelling de Vos, Asha Pattiaratch, Charitha B. Harcourt, Robert G. Inter-annual variability in blue whale distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 |
topic_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus Climate change Inter-annual variation Krill Northern Indian Ocean Upwelling |
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 |
de Vos, Asha Pattiaratch, Charitha B. Harcourt, Robert G. |
author_facet |
de Vos, Asha Pattiaratch, Charitha B. Harcourt, Robert G. |
author_sort |
de Vos, Asha |
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 |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/1682d330-559d-4f1c-91c6-ea41e1e73ab4 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/16790592/mq-37858-Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908617736&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
geographic |
Indian |
geographic_facet |
Indian |
genre |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
de Vos , A , Pattiaratch , C B & Harcourt , R G 2014 , ' Inter-annual variability in blue whale distribution off Southern Sri Lanka between 2011 and 2012 ' , Journal of marine science and engineering , vol. 2 , no. 3 , pp. 534-550 . https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse2030534 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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_ |
1798843643423883264 |