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SUMMARY:Humpback and minke whale density distributions in the Southern Oce
 an: relationships with the sea ice edge - Bas Beekmans (BAS)
DTSTART:20071214T120000Z
DTEND:20071214T123000Z
UID:TALK9437@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sophie Fielding
DESCRIPTION:Baleen whales predominantly feed on krill in the Southern Ocea
 n. Krill distribution and abundance is dependent on sea ice related variab
 les\, such as sea ice extent and duration\, but the impact of sea ice dyna
 mics on baleen whale distribution is poorly understood. For almost 30 year
 s\, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has conducted whale surveys
  in the Southern Ocean during austral summer months under the IWC/IDCR-SOW
 ER programme. I will show results from spatial models for humpback and min
 ke whale densities in the Indian part of the Southern Ocean. Selected spat
 ial models included combinations of the following covariates: closest dist
 ance of sighting to sea ice edge\, closest distance of sighting to the Sou
 thern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF)\, bathymetric depth\, Op
 timally Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature (OISST) and latitude. The spa
 tial models suggested that humpback whale densities are higher at small to
  moderate distances from the sea ice edge. However\, Antarctic minke whale
  densities did not show a consistent relationship with distance from the s
 ea ice edge over the years\, suggesting heterogeneity in distribution for 
 this region.\n
LOCATION:British Antarctic Survey\, conference room
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