Whales Help Measure Global Warming

Narwhals are toothed Arctic whales capable of deep dives. Scientists were able to attach sensors to the whales to record ocean depths and temperatures. Some of the narwhals dove deeper than one mile. The whales are able to swim and feed even during winter conditions in Baffin Bay near West Greenland, but scientists have more difficulty conducting their research then due to the increase in ice and harsh weather. So they hatched the plan to place sensors on the whales during winter and take measurements using a much easier method. Previously scientists had relied on long-term historical data based on averages, but not many direct measurements.

“Narwhals natural behavior makes them ideal for obtaining ocean temperatures during repetitive deep vertical dives. This mission was a ‘proof-of-concept’ that narwhal-obtained data can be used to make large-scale hydrographic surveys in Baffin Bay and to extend the coverage of a historical database into the poorly sampled winter season,” said Kristin Laidre from the Polar Science Center. (Source: NOAA.gov)

The new direct measurements coming from the whale-based sensors did help the scientists fill in gaps in their data. They found on average their ocean temperature measurements were almost a full degree greater than those in climatology data. Fourteen adult narwhals were tagged with the sensors which recorded date, time, depth, and temperature data. When the narwhals surfaced between sea ice to breathe, data from the sensors was transmitted to satellites. Sensors were tagged to the narwhals according to University of Washington guidelines which protect animals used in research. Each sensor collected up to seven months of data before falling off.

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Read more: Nature, Nature & Wildlife, arctic, climate change, narwhals

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Cheryl B.

6:14PM PDT on Apr 1, 2012

scary

send a green star

Marie W.

6:53PM PDT on Mar 27, 2012

Wonder what the whales think of this?

Jennifer C.

6:45PM PDT on Mar 27, 2012

Thanks for sharing.

Lauren T.

11:01AM PST on Feb 11, 2012

Amazing

Dave C.

2:23PM PDT on Jul 19, 2011

love narwhal whales, can we reimburse them for their help by working as hard as possible to mitigate/minimize the effects of global warming.

Sonny H.

6:47AM PST on Jan 8, 2011

Great animals. Thanks for sharing.

Tari J.

9:11AM PST on Dec 24, 2010

I agree with your concern butI just read a book about interspecies communication, a work of fiction by American Indian author, Four Arrows, entitled Last Song of the Whales, that says as long as we remain "human-centered" we may never fix the problem. This is a short easy read and perfect for the beginning of understanding. Read it!

leyna s.

5:19PM PST on Dec 2, 2010

They are amazing creatures!!! Great article!

Bee S.

10:48AM PST on Dec 2, 2010

Bless All The Whales... & ty Jake.

gerlinde p.

11:15PM PST on Nov 8, 2010

amazing creatures, thanks for this very interesting article