Distribution Abundance And Age Segregation Of Bowhead Whales In The Southeast Beaufort Sea August September 1985

This study examines the spatial distribution, relative abundance, and age segregation of bowhead whales in relation to petroleum industry activities and oceanographic features in the south-east Beaufort Sea during the 1985 open water season. Surface oceanographic conditions at the time of the aerial surveys (August-September) are described using satellite imagery analyses and in-situ temperature and wind data from industry vessels. Aerial photographic surveys provided information on the age/size class distribution and site tenacity of bowhead whales within the study area. Bowhead sightings recorded by other researchers working in that area during 1985 are also examined. Comparisons are made with results of previous bowhead whale surveys in the area.

The bowhead whale is a large, baleen whale found only in Arctic and sub-Artic waters. It is now one of the rarest cetaceans and is currently considered an endangered species. During August and September whales are present in areas of offshore oil exploration activity in the southeast Beaufort Sea. Aerial systematic and photogrammetric surveys were conducted in the southeast Beaufort Sea during August and September 1986, to investigate the distribution, relative abundance, and age segregation of the whales in relation to petroleum activites in the region. Two systematic surveys of the study area were completed from August 25-September 1 and September 7-14. Photogrammetric surveys of portions of the study area were conducted from August 25-September 1. Bowhead sightings recorded by researchers and by industry personnel during 1986 were also examined.

Many marine mammals communicate by emitting sounds that pass through water. Such sounds can be received across great distances and can influence the behavior of these undersea creatures. In the past few decades, the oceans have become increasingly noisy, as underwater sounds from propellers, sonars, and other human activities make it difficult for marine mammals to communicate. This book discusses, among many other topics, just how well marine mammals hear, how noisy the oceans have become, and what effects these new sounds have on marine mammals. The baseline of ambient noise, the sounds produced by machines and mammals, the sensitivity of marine mammal hearing, and the reactions of marine mammals are also examined. An essential addition to any marine biologist's library, Marine Mammals and Noise will be especially appealing to marine mammalogists, researchers, policy makers and regulators, and marine biologists and oceanographers using sound in their research.