Bowhead Whale Interaction Made Possible by Melting Arctic Sea Ice

The loss of Arctic sea ice in the Northwest Passage is making it easier for bowhead whale populations from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to interact, according to a new study. Using satellite tags attached to more than 100 whales, researchers at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources confirmed that one whale from the Greenland side of the passage and another from the Alaskan side migrated to the same area north of the Canadian mainland last August as the sea ice neared its annual minimum. According to their findings, published in the journal Biology Letters, the two animals spent 10 days circling the same area of water before swimming back to their native ranges. While fossil records and whale skeletons suggest that bowhead whales from both oceans have migrated across the Arctic Ocean in earlier periods of warming, the satellite tag data is the first direct evidence that whale species from either side of the Arctic have been able to pass through the ice-clogged waterway to mingle. Lead author Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen said decreasing Arctic sea ice made the migration possible.