Rapid Decline in Arctic Sea Ice Endangers Bowhead Whales’ Habitat
(MENAFN) The University of Adelaide announced Thursday that rapid declines in Arctic sea ice could reduce bowhead whales’ summer feeding grounds by as much as 75% by century’s end.
A team of Australian and Danish researchers used historical fossil data, whaling records, and sophisticated modeling to assess the climate threat to bowhead whales—an emblematic species of the Arctic—according to a University of Adelaide press release.
The study, conducted by scientists from both the University of Adelaide and the University of Copenhagen, examined ecological records spanning 11,700 years to explore how bowhead whales have historically reacted to climate variations. The findings show that their habitat remained consistent over thousands of years—until now.
"Bowhead whales have preferred to forage amongst sea ice for many millennia," but as Arctic sea ice rapidly declines, the whales are losing critical habitat, said lead author Nicholas Freymueller from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute and the University of Copenhagen's Globe Institute.
According to the study published in Ecology and Evolution, the Sea of Okhotsk—which hosts one of just four remaining bowhead populations—could lose all suitable summer habitat by 2060. By 2100, only a few fragmented zones, largely outside the species' existing range, are expected to persist.
This anticipated habitat reduction will influence future conservation strategies, noted Professor Eline Lorenzen from the University of Copenhagen.
Still recovering from centuries of commercial hunting, bowhead whales now face a new threat as Arctic warming accelerates. Researchers emphasized that their situation underscores the urgent need for proactive conservation planning before further habitat degradation occurs.
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