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...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Aurélie Noel, John Iacozza, Emmanuel Devred, Marianne Marcoux, Claire Hornby, Lisa L. Loseto
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022
Subjects:
Resource Selection Function
beluga whales
summer habitat
TNMPA
species distribution model
fonction de sélection de ressources
envir
geo
Arctic
Beaufort Sea
Beluga
Beluga whale
Beluga*
Delphinapterus leucas
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0003
https://doaj.org/article/3a10023100f943458655e1482124af3b
Description
Summary: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.

Similar Items