Titre du document / Document title

North atlantic right whale distribution in relation to sea-surface temperature in the southeastern United States calving grounds

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

KELLER Chérie A. ⁽¹⁾ ; WARD-GEIGER Leslie I. ⁽¹⁾ ; BROOKS William B. ⁽²⁾ ; SLAY Christopher K. ⁽³⁾ ; TAYLOR Cynthia R. ⁽¹⁾ ; ZOODSMA Barbara J. ⁽⁴⁾ ;

Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)

⁽¹⁾ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, ETATS-UNIS
⁽²⁾ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint Drive South, Jacksonville, Florida 32216, ETATS-UNIS
⁽³⁾ New England Aquarium, Edgerton Research Laboratory, Central Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, ETATS-UNIS
⁽⁴⁾ Georgia Department of Natural Resources, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, Georgia 31520, ETATS-UNIS

Résumé / Abstract

Standardized aerial surveys were used to document the winter (December-March) distribution of North Atlantic right whales in their calving area off the coasts of Georgia and northeastern Florida (1991-1998). Survey data were collected within four survey zones in and adjacent to federally designated critical habitat. These data, including whale-sighting locations and sampling effort, were used to describe right whale distribution in relation to sea-surface temperature (SST) from satellite-derived images. Locations where whales were sighted (n = 609) had an overall mean SST of 14.3°C ± 2.1° (range 8°-22°C). Data from two survey zones having sufficient data (including the "early warning system" (EWS) zone and the Florida nearshore) were pooled by season and stratified by month to investigate changes in monthly ambient SST and fine-scale distribution patterns of right whales in relation to SST within spatially explicit search areas. Using Monte Carlo techniques, SSTs and latitudes (means and standard deviations) of locations where whales were sighted were compared to a sampling distribution of each variable derived from daily-search areas. Overall, results support a nonrandom distribution of right whales in relation to SST: during resident months (January and February), whales exhibited low variability in observed SST and a suggested southward shift in whale distribution toward warmer SSTs in the EWS zone; while in the relatively warmer and southernmost survey zone (Florida nearshore), right whales were concentrated in the northern, cooler portion. Our results support that warm Gulf Stream waters, generally found south and east of delineated critical habitat, represent a thermal limit for right whales and play an important role in their distribution within the calving grounds. These results affirm the inclusion of SST in a multivariate predictive model for right whale distribution in their southeastern habitat.

Revue / Journal Title

Marine mammal science   ISSN 0824-0469   CODEN MMSCEC 

Source / Source

2006, vol. 22, n^o2, pp. 426-445 [20 page(s) (article)] (2 p.1/4)

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Blackwell, Oxford, ROYAUME-UNI  (1985) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

Cetacea ; Aquatic environment ; Vertebrata ; America ; North America ; Mammalia ; Marine environment ; Geographic information system ; Endangered species ; United States ; Surface temperature ; Sea surface ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Balaenidae ; Cetacea ; Milieu aquatique ; Vertebrata ; Amérique ; Amérique du Nord ; Eubalaena glacialis ; Mammalia ; Milieu marin ; Système information géographique ; Espèce menacée ; Etats Unis ; Température superficielle ; Surface marine ;

Mots-clés espagnols / Spanish Keywords

Cetacea ; Medio acuático ; Vertebrata ; America ; America del norte ; Mammalia ; Medio marino ; Sistema información geográfica ; Especie amenazada ; Estados Unidos ; Temperatura superficial ; Superficie marina ;

Mots-clés d'auteur / Author Keywords

North Atlantic right whale ; Eubalaena glacialis ; sea-surface temperature ; southeastern U.S. calving grounds ; endangered species ; GIS ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 21403, 35400015327217.0120