Periodic variability in cetacean strandings: links to large-scale climate events

Author:

Evans K1,Thresher R2,Warneke R.M3,Bradshaw C.J.A4,Pook M2,Thiele D5,Hindell M.A1

Affiliation:

1. Antarctic Wildlife Research Unit, School of Zoology, University of TasmaniaPrivate Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia

2. CSIRO Marine ResearchGPO Box 1358, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia

3. Blackwood Lodge1511 Mt Hicks Road, Wynyard, Tasmania 7325, Australia

4. School of Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory 0909, Australia

5. School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin UniversityPO Box 423, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia

Abstract

Cetacean strandings elicit much community and scientific interest, but few quantitative analyses have successfully identified environmental correlates to these phenomena. Data spanning 1920–2002, involving a total of 639 stranding events and 39 taxa groups from southeast Australia, were found to demonstrate a clear 11–13- year periodicity in the number of events through time. These data positively correlated with the regional persistence of both zonal (westerly) and meridional (southerly) winds, reflecting general long-term and large-scale shifts in sea-level pressure gradients. Periods of persistent zonal and meridional winds result in colder and presumably nutrient-rich waters being driven closer to southern Australia, resulting in increased biological activity in the water column during the spring months. These observations suggest that large-scale climatic events provide a powerful distal influence on the propensity for whales to strand in this region. These patterns provide a powerful quantitative framework for testing hypotheses regarding environmental links to strandings and provide managers with a potential predictive tool to prepare for years of peak stranding activity.

Publisher

The Royal Society

Subject

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)

Reference22 articles.

1. Oceanography and Coastal Topography of Herd-Stranding Sites for Whales in New Zealand

2. Occurrence of organochlorines in stranded cetaceans and seals from the east coast of southern Africa;Cockcroft V.G;Mar. Mamm. Tech. Rep,1991

3. The causes of whale strandings

4. Statistical Analysis of Australian Pressure Data

5. Fast fourier transforms: A tutorial review and a state of the art

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3