Seasonal variability in whale encounters in the Western Antarctic Peninsula

Thiele, Deborah; Chester, Edwin T.; Moore, Sue E.; Širović, Ana; Hildebrand, John A.; Friedlaender, Ari S.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.07.007

Cited by 81 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae and minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata are commonly found in the WAP region where they feed preferentially on krill and fish (Thiele et al 2004, Friedlaender et al 2006, Nowacek et al 2011. Late fall is a transition period for all the trophic levels in the WAP ecosystem when phytoplankton blooms end.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Austral fall−winter transition of mesozooplankton assemblages and krill aggregations in an embayment west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Espinasse¹,

Zhou²,

Zhu³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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To assess krill aggregations and humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae foraging behavior, spatial and temporal relationships between Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and zooplankton taxonomic groups were studied during an interdisciplinary cruise conducted in May and June 2009 within Wilhelmina Bay on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. A vesselmounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a calibrated EK-60 echo sounder were used to assess circulation patterns and krill distributions in the bay, and a multiple opening and closing net (with 333 µm mesh) and environmental sensing system (MOCNESS) was used to collect live samples of mesozooplankton and krill for taxonomic composition analysis. The results from this field study complement a previous one that examined an anticyclonic bay-scale circulation of Antarctic krill. This super-aggregation of krill covered ~100 km 2 , had a concentration of 1000s of individuals m -2 and was associated with more than 306 humpback whales present in Wilhelmina Bay. Our results from the mesozooplankton study revealed that krill continuously conducted diel vertical migrations and formed aggregations in the inner bay, while the chlorophyll concentration at the surface decreased from 2.2 to 0.6 g C m −2 due to the decrease of daylight, and zooplankton concentrations increased from 0.5 to 1.5 g C m −2 probably from advective influx. Most zooplankton were distributed below 200 m while krill fed in the upper 150 m. The spatial and temporal correlations between krill and small-to medium-sized mesozooplankton imply that krill may become omnivorous when there is a lack of phytoplankton in the late austral fall. Though both phytoplankton and zooplankton biomasses contributed only small fractions of the daily ration needed for krill metabolism in Wilhelmina Bay, it is not clear what caused krill to aggregate on such a large scale, as this led to high mortality as a result of starvation and predation by whales and other top predators.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Austral fall−winter transition of mesozooplankton assemblages and krill aggregations in an embayment west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Espinasse¹,

Zhou²,

Zhu³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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show abstract

“…Nevertheless, the number of humpback and minke whales in the Peninsula remains unknown, and more long-term studies are needed. It is known that humpback and minke whales are the most abundant baleen whale species in the western Antarctic Peninsula (Friedlaender et al, 2006;Thiele et al, 2004). Our 24 sightings in a 4-day survey in a limited area show that these areas are significant and critical habitats for humpback whales.…”

mentioning

confidence: 86%

“…During late summer and autumn, humpback whales were found in high concentrations at the ice boundaries. Minke whales, on the other hand, increased during wintertime, while following and populating ice-covered areas along the entire shelf edge (Thiele et al, 2004). According to Friedlaender et al (2014), Antarctic minke whales feed mostly under the sea ice, often skimming just below the frozen water while rapidly catching krill swarms due to the advantage of their smaller size.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sightings of cetaceans in the Western Antarctic Peninsula during the first joint Turkish–Ukrainian Antarctic Research Expedition, 2016

Öztürk¹,

Tonay²,

Öz³

et al. 2017

Turk J Zool

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Peninsula, 74 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in 24 sightings and 11 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in 6 sightings were recorded. The overall encounter rate (number of sightings/survey effort in nautical miles) was 0.333 (0.266 for humpback whale, 0.066 for Antarctic minke whale). According to the sighting distribution, the Lemaire Channel and Penola Strait are important migration and feeding habitats for whales. Five humpback whales were photo-identified individually by natural features on their flukes; one of them had a match in the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue. The matched individual was first recorded on 30 August 2007 at Salinas, Ecuador.

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“…In the evolution and ecology of influenza viruses, interspecies transmission is an important factor; seabirds and marine mammals are conspicuous animals that integrate changes in the ecosystem and reflect the existing state of the environment (Aguirre & Tabor, 2004;Boersma, 2008;Moore, 2008;Thiele et al, 2004). Transmission of the influenza virus occurs between avian and several marine mammal species (Mandler et al, 1990) at least for influenza A virus, representing an important step in the evolution and emergence of new mammalian viral strains.…”

Section: Importance Of Infectious Diseases In Uruguayan Pinniped Colomentioning

confidence: 99%

Uruguayan Pinnipeds (Arctocephalus australis and Otaria flavescens): Evidence of Influenza Virus and Mycobacterium pinnipedii Infections

Arbiza¹,

Blanc²,

Castro-Ramos³

et al. 2012

New Approaches to the Study of Marine Mammals

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Seasonal variability in whale encounters in the Western Antarctic Peninsula

Cited by 81 publications

References 47 publications

Austral fall−winter transition of mesozooplankton assemblages and krill aggregations in an embayment west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Austral fall−winter transition of mesozooplankton assemblages and krill aggregations in an embayment west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Sightings of cetaceans in the Western Antarctic Peninsula during the first joint Turkish–Ukrainian Antarctic Research Expedition, 2016

Uruguayan Pinnipeds (Arctocephalus australis and Otaria flavescens): Evidence of Influenza Virus and Mycobacterium pinnipedii Infections

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