Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers
ECG was supported by a National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship. The seasonal and geographic patterns in the distribution, residency, and density of two populations (Chukchi and Beaufort) of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were examined using data from aer...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13680 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 |
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ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/13680 2024-04-21T07:58:18+00:00 Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers Stafford, Kathleen M. Ferguson, Megan C. Hauser, Donna D. W. Okkonen, Stephen R. Berchok, Catherine L. Citta, John J. Clarke, Janet T. Garland, Ellen C. Jones, Joshua Suydam, Robert S. University of St Andrews. School of Biology University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews. Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution University of St Andrews. Centre for Biological Diversity 2018-06-02 1920169 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13680 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 eng eng Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 248117180 e0bea76a-92f4-47d9-930e-8b3b8c9f1e70 85010263574 000448093300014 Stafford , K M , Ferguson , M C , Hauser , D D W , Okkonen , S R , Berchok , C L , Citta , J J , Clarke , J T , Garland , E C , Jones , J & Suydam , R S 2018 , ' Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers ' , Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography , vol. 152 , pp. 182-194 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 0967-0645 RIS: urn:03BD190A66DC4D4651280896C91495E9 ORCID: /0000-0002-8240-1267/work/49580208 https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13680 doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas Alaska Beaufort Sea Aerial surveys Satellite telemetry Passive acoustic monitoring QH301 Biology GC Oceanography NDAS QH301 GC Journal article 2018 ftstandrewserep https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 2024-03-27T15:07:39Z ECG was supported by a National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship. The seasonal and geographic patterns in the distribution, residency, and density of two populations (Chukchi and Beaufort) of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were examined using data from aerial surveys, passive acoustic recordings, and satellite telemetry to better understand this arctic species in the oceanographically complex and changing western Beaufort Sea. An aerial survey data-based model of beluga density highlights the Beaufort Sea slope as important habitat for belugas, with westerly regions becoming more important as summer progresses into fall. The Barrow Canyon region always had the highest relative densities of belugas from July-October. Passive acoustic data showed that beluga whales occupied the Beaufort slope and Beaufort Sea from early April until early November and passed each hydrophone location in three broad pulses during this time. These pulses likely represent the migrations of the two beluga populations: the first pulse in spring being from Beaufort animals, the second spring pulse Chukchi belugas, with the third, fall pulse a combination of both populations. Core-use and home range analyses of satellite-tagged belugas showed similar use of habitats as the aerial survey data, but also showed that it is predominantly the Chukchi population of belugas that uses the western Beaufort, with the exception of September when both populations overlap. Finally, an examination of these beluga datasets in the context of wind-driven changes in the local currents and water masses suggests that belugas are highly capable of adapting to oceanographic changes that may drive the distribution of their prey. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Barrow Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Chukchi Delphinapterus leucas Alaska University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 152 182 194 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftstandrewserep |
language |
English |
topic |
Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas Alaska Beaufort Sea Aerial surveys Satellite telemetry Passive acoustic monitoring QH301 Biology GC Oceanography NDAS QH301 GC |
spellingShingle |
Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas Alaska Beaufort Sea Aerial surveys Satellite telemetry Passive acoustic monitoring QH301 Biology GC Oceanography NDAS QH301 GC Stafford, Kathleen M. Ferguson, Megan C. Hauser, Donna D. W. Okkonen, Stephen R. Berchok, Catherine L. Citta, John J. Clarke, Janet T. Garland, Ellen C. Jones, Joshua Suydam, Robert S. Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
topic_facet |
Beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas Alaska Beaufort Sea Aerial surveys Satellite telemetry Passive acoustic monitoring QH301 Biology GC Oceanography NDAS QH301 GC |
description |
ECG was supported by a National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship. The seasonal and geographic patterns in the distribution, residency, and density of two populations (Chukchi and Beaufort) of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were examined using data from aerial surveys, passive acoustic recordings, and satellite telemetry to better understand this arctic species in the oceanographically complex and changing western Beaufort Sea. An aerial survey data-based model of beluga density highlights the Beaufort Sea slope as important habitat for belugas, with westerly regions becoming more important as summer progresses into fall. The Barrow Canyon region always had the highest relative densities of belugas from July-October. Passive acoustic data showed that beluga whales occupied the Beaufort slope and Beaufort Sea from early April until early November and passed each hydrophone location in three broad pulses during this time. These pulses likely represent the migrations of the two beluga populations: the first pulse in spring being from Beaufort animals, the second spring pulse Chukchi belugas, with the third, fall pulse a combination of both populations. Core-use and home range analyses of satellite-tagged belugas showed similar use of habitats as the aerial survey data, but also showed that it is predominantly the Chukchi population of belugas that uses the western Beaufort, with the exception of September when both populations overlap. Finally, an examination of these beluga datasets in the context of wind-driven changes in the local currents and water masses suggests that belugas are highly capable of adapting to oceanographic changes that may drive the distribution of their prey. Peer reviewed |
author2 |
University of St Andrews. School of Biology University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews. Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution University of St Andrews. Centre for Biological Diversity |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Stafford, Kathleen M. Ferguson, Megan C. Hauser, Donna D. W. Okkonen, Stephen R. Berchok, Catherine L. Citta, John J. Clarke, Janet T. Garland, Ellen C. Jones, Joshua Suydam, Robert S. |
author_facet |
Stafford, Kathleen M. Ferguson, Megan C. Hauser, Donna D. W. Okkonen, Stephen R. Berchok, Catherine L. Citta, John J. Clarke, Janet T. Garland, Ellen C. Jones, Joshua Suydam, Robert S. |
author_sort |
Stafford, Kathleen M. |
title |
Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
title_short |
Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
title_full |
Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
title_fullStr |
Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
title_sort |
beluga whales in the western beaufort sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13680 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 |
genre |
Barrow Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Chukchi Delphinapterus leucas Alaska |
genre_facet |
Barrow Beaufort Sea Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Chukchi Delphinapterus leucas Alaska |
op_relation |
Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 248117180 e0bea76a-92f4-47d9-930e-8b3b8c9f1e70 85010263574 000448093300014 Stafford , K M , Ferguson , M C , Hauser , D D W , Okkonen , S R , Berchok , C L , Citta , J J , Clarke , J T , Garland , E C , Jones , J & Suydam , R S 2018 , ' Beluga whales in the western Beaufort Sea : current state of knowledge on timing, distribution, habitat use and environmental drivers ' , Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography , vol. 152 , pp. 182-194 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 0967-0645 RIS: urn:03BD190A66DC4D4651280896C91495E9 ORCID: /0000-0002-8240-1267/work/49580208 https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13680 doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.11.017 |
container_title |
Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography |
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152 |
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