#rightwhales — Public Fediverse posts

Boaters warned to steer clear of endangered whales off Merritt Island

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A new warning has been issued for boaters near Merritt Island after a critically-endangered…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #BrevardCounty #endangered #Environment #Florida #MerrittIsland #rightwhales #Science #Whales
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/360049/

Boaters warned to steer clear of endangered whales off Merritt Island

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A new warning has been issued for boaters near Merritt Island after a critically-endangered…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #BrevardCounty #endangered #Environment #Florida #MerrittIsland #rightwhales #Science #Whales
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/360049/

#Whales move nutrients from Alaska to Hawaii in their urine, supporting tropical ecosystems https://phys.org/news/2025-03-whales-nutrients-alaska-hawaii-urine.html

Migrating #BaleenWhales transport high-latitude nutrients to tropical and subtropical ecosystems https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2

"in oceans across the globe, great whales—including #RightWhales, #GrayWhales, and #humpbacks—transport about 4,000 tons of nitrogen each year to low-nutrient coastal areas in the tropics and subtropics. They also bring more than 45,000 tons of biomass"

#Whales can live way longer than scientists had thought, with potential #lifespans as much as double previous estimates
Southern #rightwhales have lifespans that reach well past 100yr, and 10% may live past 130 years. Some of these whales may live to 150. This #lifespan is almost double the 70-80 years they are conventionally believed to live.
North Atlantic right whales thought to have lifespan of about 70yr. But average only 22 years, and they rarely live past 50.
https://theconversation.com/whales-can-live-way-longer-than-scientists-had-thought-with-potential-lifespans-as-much-as-double-previous-estimates-245826

Study reveals #rightwhales live 130 years—or more
Scientists working with Indigenous subsistence hunters in Utqiaġvik used chemical analysis of harvested #bowheadwhales to show they can live more than 200 years. Right #whales, which are much more closely related to bowhead whales than any other species, appear to exhibit similar #lifespans. The current study examined four decades of data collected by photo identification programs tracking individual whales.
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-reveals-whales-years.html

[Paywall -- full text in post] Scientists puzzled by colder deep water temperatures in #GulfOfMaine

by Nicole Ogrysko, Maine Public May 15, 2024

"About a dozen years ago, the Gulf of Maine experienced an #OceanHeatwave unlike any other.

"Today, scientists are puzzling over new data that suggest the gulf may be experiencing another kind of
climate shock.

"Data collected from buoys placed in the Gulf of Maine show that over the last six months, deep water
temperatures are noticeably lower than the long-term average.

"'It’s not just cold in the deep waters right now, it’s really cold. And it’s fresher, it’s really fresher than it’s been,' said Nick Record, a senior scientist with Bigelow Laboratory. 'These are very unusual conditions, so I think there’s a lot that we can learn by watching how the year unfolds.'

"The Gulf of Maine is still one of the fastest warming oceans on the planet, Record said. The ocean #heatwave that hit the Gulf of Maine back in 2012 served as a prime example of the kind of surface temperature warming that much of the #AtlanticOcean has been experiencing.

"But #ClimateChange creates more unpredictable conditions, and Record said the Gulf of Maine may be experiencing another kind of #ClimateShock, similar to a late season #frost.

"'In some ways if we’re just expecting long term warming, we could be surprised when, even temporarily, we get these weird reversals to a cold situation. The more we can condition ourselves to think about surprises, what they might mean for us, the more we can be proactive and more be adaptive,' Record said.

"It’s not clear how long this pattern will hold, Record said. Because colder water makes for prime feeding habitat for critically endangered North Atlantic #RightWhales, Record said he’ll watch for whether right whales return to the Gulf of Maine in larger numbers this summer than they have in recent years.

"Colder deep water may also change conditions for the #lobster population. Deep water temperatures affect the timing of lobster molts, the presence of shell disease and other population impacts, Record said.'"

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/05/15/state/state-environment/gulf-of-maine-cold-deep-water-climate-change/

#AMOC #ClimateWeirding #ExtremeCold

#Misinformation spreads as more #Atlantic #whales show up dead. Scientists are worried.
Scientists say such confusion and misinformation can hurt evidence-based #conservation efforts. The “right” rabbit hole to save #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales, #MichaelMoore, a #veterinary scientist at #WHOI in Massachusetts said, would be the one that addresses #ship strikes and entanglement with #fishing gear.
https://www.postandcourier.com/environment/misinformation-spreads-as-more-atlantic-whales-show-up-dead-scientists-are-worried/article_c32ca870-9112-11ed-ab30-27e7bbc38c02.html

Right Whales in the Cape Cod Canal at Scusset Beach 03/31/23 #rightwhales #whale #whales #whalephotography #marinemammals #Nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #capecod #massachusetts #newengland #capecodcanal #capecodcanalwhales