Interaction between offshore geophysical exploration activities and bowhead whales in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, Fall 1982

1983 ◽  
Vol 74 (S1) ◽  
pp. S55-S55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald K. Ljungblad
Keyword(s):  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Geophysical Exploration

Summer Distribution of Bowhead Whales, Balaena mysticetus, Relative to Oil Industry Activities in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, 1980-84

ARCTIC ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. John Richardson ◽  
Rolph A. Davis ◽  
C. Robert Evans ◽  
Donald K. Ljungblad ◽  
Pamela Norton
Keyword(s):  
Oil Industry ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Balaena Mysticetus ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Summer Distribution

scholarly journals Bowhead and beluga whale acoustic detections in the western Beaufort Sea 2008–2018

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253929
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Stafford ◽  
John J. Citta ◽  
Stephen R. Okkonen ◽  
Jinlun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Sea Transport ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Acoustic Data

The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) was established to detect environmental changes in the Pacific Arctic by regular monitoring of biophysical responses in each of 8 DBO regions. Here we examine the occurrence of bowhead and beluga whale vocalizations in the western Beaufort Sea acquired by acoustic instruments deployed from September 2008-July 2014 and September 2016-October 2018 to examine inter-annual variability of these Arctic endemic species in DBO Region 6. Acoustic data were collected on an oceanographic mooring deployed in the Beaufort shelfbreak jet at ~71.4°N, 152.0°W. Spectrograms of acoustic data files were visually examined for the presence or absence of known signals of bowhead and beluga whales. Weekly averages of whale occurrence were compared with outputs of zooplankton, temperature and sea ice from the BIOMAS model to determine if any of these variables influenced whale occurrence. In addition, the dates of acoustic whale passage in the spring and fall were compared to annual sea ice melt-out and freeze-up dates to examine changes in phenology. Neither bowhead nor beluga whale migration times changed significantly in spring, but bowhead whales migrated significantly later in fall from 2008–2018. There were no clear relationships between bowhead whales and the environmental variables, suggesting that the DBO 6 region is a migratory corridor, but not a feeding hotspot, for this species. Surprisingly, beluga whale acoustic presence was related to zooplankton biomass near the mooring, but this is unlikely to be a direct relationship: there are likely interactions of environmental drivers that result in higher occurrence of both modeled zooplankton and belugas in the DBO 6 region. The environmental triggers that drive the migratory phenology of the two Arctic endemic cetacean species likely extend from Bering Sea transport of heat, nutrients and plankton through the Chukchi and into the Beaufort Sea.

Effectiveness of acoustic localization in documenting spatial and temporal patterns in autumn migration of bowhead whales in the Alaskan Beaufort sea

2004 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 2588-2588
Author(s):  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Robert G. Norman ◽  
Charles R. Greene ◽  
Miles W. McLennan ◽  
Trent L. McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Autumn Migration ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Acoustic Localization ◽  
Bowhead Whales

Effects of anthropogenic noise on migrating bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 3021-3022
Author(s):  
Katherine H. Kim ◽  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Aaron M. Thode
Keyword(s):  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Bowhead Whales

Double-difference tracking of migrating Bowhead Whales using autonomous vector sensors in the Beaufort Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 1695-1696
Author(s):  
Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé ◽  
Aaron Thode ◽  
Alexander Conrad ◽  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Katherine H. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Double Difference ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Vector Sensors

Satellite-monitored movements of radio-tagged bowhead whales in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas during the late-summer feeding season and fall migration

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1168-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce R Mate ◽  
Gregory K Krutzikowsky ◽  
Martha H Winsor
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Bowhead Whale ◽  
Balaena Mysticetus ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Russian Waters ◽  
Summer Feeding

From 30 August to 6 September 1992, we tagged 12 juvenile bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) with Argos satellite-monitored radio tags in the Canadian Beaufort Sea off the Mackenzie River Delta. Eight tags documented [Formula: see text]9820 km of movements between 392 locations during 111 whale-tracking days. The whales did not move in unison. Individual movements and average speeds (1.1-5.8 km/h) varied widely. One whale stayed in Mackenzie Bay for 23.5 d, while the rest stayed an average of only 2.4 d. The majority of locations for all whales were in shallow water: 65% at <50 m depth and 87% at <100 m depth. Seven whales went into water >100 m deep and four were in water >500 m deep. The whale with the longest record traveled [Formula: see text]3886 km to Siberia in 32.5 d, averaging 5.0 km/h. Its westerly route through the Beaufort and Chukchi seas was between 70° and 72°N and primarily in heavy ice ([Formula: see text]90% coverage), which was continuous west of 151°W. This whale's speed was faster, though not significantly, in heavy ice than in more open water. This is the first detailed documentation of the route and speed of a bowhead whale during its fall migration from Canadian to Russian waters.

Variation in winter diet of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears inferred from stable isotope analysis

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 596-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Bentzen ◽  
E.H. Follmann ◽  
S.C. Amstrup ◽  
G.S. York ◽  
M.J. Wooller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
Lower Trophic Level ◽  
Winter Diet

Ringed seals ( Phoca hispida Schreber, 1775 = Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)) and bearded seals ( Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)) represent the majority of the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) annual diet. However, remains of lower trophic level bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) are available in the southern Beaufort Sea and their dietary contribution to polar bears has been unknown. We used stable isotope (13C/12C, δ13C, 15N/14N, and δ15N) analysis to determine the diet composition of polar bears sampled along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast in March and April 2003 and 2004. The mean δ15N values of polar bear blood cells were 19.5‰ (SD = 0.7‰) in 2003 and 19.9‰ (SD = 0.7‰) in 2004. Mixing models indicated bowhead whales composed 11%–26% (95% CI) of the diets of sampled polar bears in 2003, and 0%–14% (95% CI) in 2004. This suggests significant variability in the proportion of lower trophic level prey in polar bear diets among individuals and between years. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting seals, and the temporal and spatial availabilities of sea ice are projected to decline. Consumption of low trophic level foods documented here suggests bears may increasingly scavenge such foods in the future.

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