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Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Davis, GE; Baumgartner, MF; Corkeron, PJ; Bell, J; Berchok, C; Bonnell, JM; Bort Thornton, J; Brault, S; Buchanan, GA; Cholewiak, DM; Clark, CW ...
Published in: Global change biology
September 2020

Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate-driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis), fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom-mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004-2010 and 2011-2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid-Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution.

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Published In

Global change biology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2486

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

September 2020

Volume

26

Issue

9

Start / End Page

4812 / 4840

Related Subject Headings

  • Southeastern United States
  • Greenland
  • Ecology
  • Caribbean Region
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Animals
  • Acoustics
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
 

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Davis, G. E., Baumgartner, M. F., Corkeron, P. J., Bell, J., Berchok, C., Bonnell, J. M., … Van Parijs, S. M. (2020). Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Global Change Biology, 26(9), 4812–4840. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15191
Davis, Genevieve E., Mark F. Baumgartner, Peter J. Corkeron, Joel Bell, Catherine Berchok, Julianne M. Bonnell, Jacqueline Bort Thornton, et al. “Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data.Global Change Biology 26, no. 9 (September 2020): 4812–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15191.
Davis GE, Baumgartner MF, Corkeron PJ, Bell J, Berchok C, Bonnell JM, et al. Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Global change biology. 2020 Sep;26(9):4812–40.
Davis, Genevieve E., et al. “Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data.Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 9, Sept. 2020, pp. 4812–40. Epmc, doi:10.1111/gcb.15191.
Davis GE, Baumgartner MF, Corkeron PJ, Bell J, Berchok C, Bonnell JM, Bort Thornton J, Brault S, Buchanan GA, Cholewiak DM, Clark CW, Delarue J, Hatch LT, Klinck H, Kraus SD, Martin B, Mellinger DK, Moors-Murphy H, Nieukirk S, Nowacek DP, Parks SE, Parry D, Pegg N, Read AJ, Rice AN, Risch D, Scott A, Soldevilla MS, Stafford KM, Stanistreet JE, Summers E, Todd S, Van Parijs SM. Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Global change biology. 2020 Sep;26(9):4812–4840.
Journal cover image

Published In

Global change biology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2486

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

September 2020

Volume

26

Issue

9

Start / End Page

4812 / 4840

Related Subject Headings

  • Southeastern United States
  • Greenland
  • Ecology
  • Caribbean Region
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Animals
  • Acoustics
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences