Humpback Whale Migration Update: February 12, 1997

Center for Coastal Studies

Hello again from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary,

This will be a short report this week. I'm hoping to get some first-hand reports from the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean for next week, but for now all I can report is that the whales are down south and hopefully we'll be hearing some good reports about calving soon.

Thanks to the many students who answered last week's Challenge Question. Most of you seemed to be thinking along the same lines as were the students at Vergennes Elementary School in Vermont:

"We know humpback whales eat plankton, and that plankton is 20 times more plentiful in the Arctic Ocean. Maybe it is too much work to eat in the warm ocean because there isn't as much. Also we know that whales are busy having babies in the Caribbean."
lmcguire@vergennes.k12.vt.us

In answer to last week's question -- Caribbean waters are so nice for photography because they are so clear. But that clarity also indicates that the waters are less rich in nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton. This reduction in small life forms also leads to fewer fish in the food chain. There may be great diversity of life in tropical waters, but you don't see the immense schools of fish that can be found farther north. Humpback whales go to the warmer southern waters to calve and breed, but they don't go there to feed. They gorge themselves on schools of sand lance, herring and other small fish (and krill in other northern waters) when they come up north in the summer.

Challenge Question #2:
What is "upwelling" and how does upwelling affect the ocean food chains?

To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.

I apologize for a transposition in numbers from last week. The Christmas Bird Count actually went out on December 21 and we did see 4 whales of which two were definitely humpbacks. The other two may have been humpbacks, or possibly minkes or finbacks.

Until next time, this is Anne Smrcina from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary signing off.

1. Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-hwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #2
3. In the body of the message, answer this question:

Challenge Question #2:
What is "upwelling" and how does upwelling affect the ocean food chains?

The Next Humpback Whale Migration Update Will be Posted on February 19, 1997