scholarly journals Validation of dentine deposition rates in beluga whales by interspecies cross dating of temporal δ13C trends in teeth

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory JD Matthews ◽  
Steven H Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Deposition Rates ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Suess Effect ◽  
Isotopic Variation ◽  
The North

Isotopic time series from sequentially sampled growth layer groups (GLGs) in marine mammal teeth can be combined to build chronologies allowing assessment of isotopic variation in marine ecosystems. Synchronous recording of baseline isotopic variation across dentinal GLGs of species with temporal and spatial overlap in foraging offers a unique opportunity for validation of marine mammal age estimation procedures through calibration of GLG deposition rates in one species against another whose GLG deposition has been independently determined. In this study, we compare trends in stable carbon isotope ratios (d13C) across dentinal GLGs of three eastern Canadian Arctic (ECA) beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) populations through the 1960s-2000s with a d13C time series measured across dentinal GLGs of ECA/Northwest Atlantic killer whales (Orcinus orca) from 1944-1999. We use confirmed annual GLG deposition in killer whales as a means to assess beluga GLG deposition, and show linear d13C declines across chronologies of both species were statistically indistinguishable when based on annual GLG deposition in beluga whales, but differed when based on biannual deposition. We suggest d13C declines reflect the oceanic 13C Suess effect, and provide additional support for annual GLG deposition in beluga whales by comparing rates of d13C declines across beluga GLGs with published annual d13C declines attributed to the oceanic 13C Suess effect in the North Atlantic.

scholarly journals Incorporating the stable carbon isotope <sup>13</sup>C in the ocean biogeochemical component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 4389-4429
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Katharina D. Six ◽  
Tatiana Ilyina
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
System Model ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Max Planck ◽  
Ocean Carbon Cycle ◽  
Suess Effect ◽  
The North ◽  
Anthropogenic Co2 ◽  
Ocean Carbon

Abstract. The stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) is an important variable to study the ocean carbon cycle across different timescales. We include a new representation of the stable carbon isotope 13C into the HAMburg Ocean Carbon Cycle model (HAMOCC), the ocean biogeochemical component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). 13C is explicitly resolved for all oceanic carbon pools considered. We account for fractionation during air–sea gas exchange and for biological fractionation ϵp associated with photosynthetic carbon fixation during phytoplankton growth. We examine two ϵp parameterisations of different complexity: ϵpPopp varies with surface dissolved CO2 concentration (Popp et al., 1989), while ϵpLaws additionally depends on local phytoplankton growth rates (Laws et al., 1995). When compared to observations of δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), both parameterisations yield similar performance. However, with regard to δ13C in particulate organic carbon (POC) ϵpPopp shows a considerably improved performance compared to ϵpLaws. This is because ϵpLaws produces too strong a preference for 12C, resulting in δ13CPOC that is too low in our model. The model also well reproduces the global oceanic anthropogenic CO2 sink and the oceanic 13C Suess effect, i.e. the intrusion and distribution of the isotopically light anthropogenic CO2 in the ocean. The satisfactory model performance of the present-day oceanic δ13C distribution using ϵpPopp and of the anthropogenic CO2 uptake allows us to further investigate the potential sources of uncertainty of the Eide et al. (2017a) approach for estimating the oceanic 13C Suess effect. Eide et al. (2017a) derived the first global oceanic 13C Suess effect estimate based on observations. They have noted a potential underestimation, but their approach does not provide any insight about the cause. By applying the Eide et al. (2017a) approach to the model data we are able to investigate in detail potential sources of underestimation of the 13C Suess effect. Based on our model we find underestimations of the 13C Suess effect at 200 m by 0.24 ‰ in the Indian Ocean, 0.21 ‰ in the North Pacific, 0.26 ‰ in the South Pacific, 0.1 ‰ in the North Atlantic and 0.14 ‰ in the South Atlantic. We attribute the major sources of underestimation to two assumptions in the Eide et al. (2017a) approach: the spatially uniform preformed component of δ13CDIC in year 1940 and the neglect of processes that are not directly linked to the oceanic uptake and transport of chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12) such as the decrease in δ13CPOC over the industrial period. The new 13C module in the ocean biogeochemical component of MPI-ESM shows satisfying performance. It is a useful tool to study the ocean carbon sink under the anthropogenic influences, and it will be applied to investigating variations of ocean carbon cycle in the past.

scholarly journals Mapping Arctic cetaceans from space: A case study for beluga and narwhal

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254380
Author(s):  
Bertrand Charry ◽  
Emily Tissier ◽  
John Iacozza ◽  
Marianne Marcoux ◽  
Cortney A. Watt
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Baffin Island ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
Maximum Resolution

Emergence of new technologies in remote sensing give scientists a new way to detect and monitor wildlife populations. In this study we assess the ability to detect and classify two emblematic Arctic cetaceans, the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) and beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), using very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. We analyzed 12 VHR images acquired in August 2017 and 2019, collected by the WorldView-3 satellite, which has a maximum resolution of 0.31 m per pixel. The images covered Clearwater Fiord (138.8 km2), an area on eastern Baffin Island, Canada where belugas spend a large part of the summer, and Tremblay Sound (127.0 km2), a narrow water body located on the north shore of Baffin Island that is used by narwhals during the open water season. A total of 292 beluga whales and 109 narwhals were detected in the images. This study contributes to our understanding of Arctic cetacean distribution and highlights the capabilities of using satellite imagery to detect marine mammals.

Systematic Review and Critique of the Contributions of Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Beluga Whales in the Marine Mammal Literature + Supplementary Appendix Table (See Article Tools)

ARCTIC ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin Breton-Honeyman ◽  
Chris M. Furgal ◽  
Michael O. Hammill
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Online Databases

In this study we systematically review and critique literature containing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the beluga (<em>Delphinapterus leucas</em>) as a case study to gain insights into TEK’s contributions to the marine mammal literature over the past four decades. We reviewed multiple searchable online databases, collected both academic and grey literature, and categorized it by geographic and disciplinary focus, as well as by the contribution of TEK to the source. Of the total 137 papers retained in the final analysis, 67% referred to the Canadian North, particularly the Hudson Bay subregion. Articles that included informal or anecdotal representations of TEK of belugas were the most prevalent. The number of papers containing TEK of belugas increased rapidly between 1975 and 2004 but appears to have leveled off since then. Biological papers represented the largest disciplinary focus (72%), followed by papers on management or co-management. This review showed that although knowledge of Indigenous peoples has made substantial contributions to the understanding of beluga, there is a lack of explicit collection, documentation, and use of TEK in the literature on belugas and particularly in the literature on beluga management.

scholarly journals KILLER WHALES AND MARINE MAMMAL TRENDS IN THE NORTH PACIFIC—A RE-EXAMINATION OF EVIDENCE FOR SEQUENTIAL MEGAFAUNA COLLAPSE AND THE PREY-SWITCHING HYPOTHESIS

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 766-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. Wade ◽  
Vladimir N. Burkanov ◽  
Marilyn E. Dahlheim ◽  
Nancy A. Friday ◽  
Lowell W. Fritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Prey Switching ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

scholarly journals Incorporating the stable carbon isotope <sup>13</sup>C in the ocean biogeochemical component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Katharina D. Six ◽  
Tatiana Ilyina
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Phytoplankton Growth ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Max Planck ◽  
Suess Effect ◽  
The North ◽  
Oceanic Carbon

Abstract. Direct comparison between paleo oceanic δ13C records and model results facilitates assessing simulated distributions and properties of water masses in the past. To accomplish this, we include a new representation of the stable carbon isotope 13C into the HAMburg Ocean Carbon Cycle model (HAMOCC), the ocean biogeochemical component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). 13C is explicitly resolved for all existing oceanic carbon pools. We account for fractionation during air-sea gas exchange and for biological fractionation εp associated with photosynthetic carbon fixation during phytoplankton growth. We examine two εp parameterisations of different complexity: εpPopp varies with surface dissolved CO2 concentration (Popp et al., 1989), while εpLaws additionally depends on local phytoplankton growth rates (Laws et al., 1995). When compared to observations of δ13C in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), both parameterisations yield similar performance. However, with regard to δ13C in particulate organic carbon εpPopp shows a considerably improved performance than εpLaws, because the latter results in a too strong preference for 12C. The model also well reproduces the oceanic 13C Suess effect, i.e. the intrusion of the isotopically light anthropogenic CO2 into the ocean, based on comparison to other existing 13C models and to observation-based oceanic carbon uptake estimates over the industrial period. We further apply the approach of Eide et al. (2017a), who derived the first global oceanic 13C Suess effect estimate based on observations, to our model data that has ample spatial and temporal coverage. With this we are able to analyse in detail the underestimation of 13C Suess effect by this approach as it has been noted by Eide et al. (2017a). Based on our model we find underestimations of 13C Suess effect at 200 m by 0.24 ‰ in the Indian Ocean, 0.21 ‰ in the North Pacific, 0.26 ‰ in the South Pacific, 0.1 ‰ in the North Atlantic and 0.14 ‰ in the South Atlantic. We attribute the major sources of the underestimation to two assumptions in Eide et al. (2017a)'s approach: a spatially-constant preformed component of δ13CDIC in year 1940 and neglecting 13C Suess effect in CFC-12 free water.

scholarly journals Community-Based Observations of Marine Mammal Occurrences in Groswater Bay, Labrador

2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Keith G. Chaulk ◽  
Daniel Michelin ◽  
Melva Williams ◽  
Tony Wolfrey
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Balaenoptera Acutorostrata ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Industrial Growth ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Oil And Gas Exploration ◽  
Minke Whales

Experienced observers from the community of Rigolet, Newfoundland and Labrador, recorded marine mammal observations at Rigolet on the coast of Labrador from July to September 2012. During this study, a total of nine species of marine mammals were documented. A daily average of 2.6 (range 1–5) marine mammal species were observed, with Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) and Common Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) being the most common. The area is thought to be regionally important for Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida) whelping; however, Ringed Seals were not observed in large numbers. Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were also reported anecdotally, but were less common than the other species, with the possible exception of the Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Labrador is experiencing significant industrial growth related to hydroelectric development and offshore oil and gas exploration. These data should aid environmental assessment and environmental effects monitoring and assist researchers in understanding regional marine mammal ecology, including species diversity, seasonal occurrence, and relative abundance.

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