Finding marine mammals in the high Arctic
The loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change has increased international interest in understanding the ecology of seldom studied high-Arctic regions projected to retain the last remnants of summer sea ice. Arctic marine mammals are vulnerable to future environmental change due to their high dependence on sea ice.
We completed aerial surveys in 2018 and 2019 to document the distribution of marine mammals in the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area which acts as a last refuge for ice-associated species. Our surveys documented important sightings of narwhals (Monodon monoceros), Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus), bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus), and ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in Archer Fjord, northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada (81°14′–81°49′ N) that helps update knowledge on high Arctic marine mammal distributions. We also found that Archer Fjord hosts a high abundance and diversity of marine mammals in the summer than the rest of the area we studied.
Close-up images of (A) a group of five narwhals including a yearling, (B) a bearded seal, (C) six ringed seals, and (D) two Atlantic walruses taken in Archer Fjord and Lady Franklin Bay (Carlyle et al. 2021).
Another important part of surveys for monitoring wildlife populations is understanding how many animals we miss and trying to reduce the number of animals we miss. The use of infrared technology has the potential to improve how many animals we find in aerial surveys. We used infrared video during marine mammal surveys in the high-Arctic and indirectly detected narwhal (Monodon monoceros) via footprints in the water made by their stroking tail (flukeprints). Using infrared to complement traditional survey methods can help us find marine mammals.
(a) Photograph and (b) corresponding infrared image of a narwhal (Monodon monoceros) (within the circle) and its flukeprints (within the rectangles). Three narwhal swim alongside to the right, and two further in front (out of frame), of the circled individual (Florko et al. 2021).
Click here for the CBC coverage!
Read our work on studying high Arctic marine mammals:
Carlyle, C. G., Florko, K. R. N., Young, B. G., Yurkowski, D. J., Michel, C., and Ferguson, S. H.. 2021. Marine mammal biodiversity and rare narwhal (Monodon monoceros) observations near northern Ellesmere Island, Canada. Ecosphere 12( 6):e03534. 10.1002/ecs2.3534
Florko, K. R. N., Carlyle, C. G., Young, B. G., Yurkowski, D. J., Michel, C., and Ferguson, S. H.. 2021. Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) detection by infrared flukeprints from aerial survey imagery. Ecosphere 12( 8):e03698. 10.1002/ecs2.3698
Yurkowski, D. J., Carlyle, C. G., Amarualik, U., Lange, B. A., Platt, A., Higdon, J. W., Stewart, D. B., Ferguson, A. Ferguson, S. H. and Michel, C. (2019). Novel observations of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in Archer Fjord, northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Polar Biol 42: 1193–1198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02499-z
