Whales & Climate research program

Many whale populations are now in the process of recovering following over- exploitation by the whaling industry. Climate change is one of the next biggest challenges that whales are facing. The research program runs under 4 major themes: Whale Ecology, Ocean Processes, Marine Geochemistry and Future Climate. The outputs of the research themes are joint in a number of models. Fine and large scale models on oceanographic features relevant for humpback whales are being developed and the movement of the species analysed over large spatial (>1000 kms) and temporal (>100 years) scales.

• Climate Variability and Change
• humpback whales
• ocean dynamics
• southern right whales
• whales
• Essential Ocean subvariables (EOV subvariables) & Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs)
  • Marine mammals abundance
• GOOS Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs)
  • Marine mammals abundance and distribution
  • Phytoplankton biomass and diversity
  • Zooplankton biomass and diversity
• GOOS Physics, Biogeochemistry, and Cross-disciplinary EOVs
  • Nutrients
  • Sea ice
  • Sea surface salinity
  • Sea surface temperature
  • Subsurface currents