A humpback whale in Alaska.
Photo Credit: istock

What acoustics can tell us about whales in the Arctic

Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from across the North

A new study suggests that certain species of sub-Arctic whales are increasingly making their way through the Bering Strait towards Arctic waters, raising questions about what may be causing these species to expand their territory.

Researchers used underwater microphones to track the whales as they made their way through the strait towards the Chukchi Sea.

The Bering Strait, site of recent research on whale migration. (iStock)

The Bering Strait, site of recent research on whale migration. (iStock)

Besides Arctic beluga and bowhead whales, the microphones picked up large numbers of sub-Arctic killer whales and humpback whales swimming to the Arctic.

Here’s some of what the researchers heard:

Humpback whales in the Bering Strait: 

Killer Whales in the Bering Strait

Those involved in the U.S. – Russia study say their findings raise interesting questions about what is actually driving the sub-Arctic whales into the Arctic and if they could one day become competition for Arctic bowhead and beluga whales.

To find out more, Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn spoke with researcher Kate Stafford, an oceanographer with the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

Listen

Related Links:

Reports of more killer whales in Nunavut, Canada waters, CBC News

 

column-banner-eilis

Categories: Environment & Animal Life, Indigenous, International, Internet, Science & Technology
Tags: , , , ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.