Science, Space and Technology News 2024
This schematic shows the difference in length between a PCFG gray whale born in 2020 vs one born prior to the year 2000. OSU researchers determined that a full-grown PCFG gray whale born in 2020 is expected to reach an adult body length that is 1.65 meters shorter than a gray whale born prior to 2000. For PCFG gray whales that grow to be 38-41 feet long at full maturity, that accounts for a loss of more than 13% of their total length. Credit: Courtesy K.C.
“This could be an early warning sign that the abundance of this population is starting to decline, or is not healthy,” said K.C. Bierlich, co-author on the study and an assistant professor at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute in Newport. “And whales are considered ecosystem sentinels, so if the whale population isn’t doing well, that might say a lot about the environment itself.
Scarring on PCFG whales from boat strikes and fishing gear entanglement also makes the team concerned that smaller body sizes with lower energy reserves may make the whales less resilient to injuries.The study also examined the patterns of the ocean environment that likely regulate food availability for these gray whales off the Pacific coast by tracking cycles of “upwelling” and “relaxation” in the ocean.
“We haven’t looked specifically at how climate change is affecting these patterns, but in general we know that climate change is affecting the oceanography of the Northeast Pacific through changes in wind patterns and water temperature,” he said. “And these factors and others affect the dynamics of upwelling and relaxation in the area.”
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