Sea ice directs changes in bowhead whale phenology through the Bering Strait.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Climate change is warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the planet. Shifts in whale migration timing have been linked to climate change in temperate and sub-Arctic regions, and evidence suggests Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) might be overwintering in the Canadian Beaufort Sea.

Methods

We used an 11-year timeseries (spanning 2009-2021) of BCB bowhead whale presence in the southern Chukchi Sea (inferred from passive acoustic monitoring) to explore relationships between migration timing and sea ice in the Chukchi and Bering Seas.

Results

Fall southward migration into the Bering Strait was delayed in years with less mean October Chukchi Sea ice area and earlier in years with greater sea ice area (p = 0.04, r² 

SUBMITTER: Szesciorka AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9903510 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature