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Gray Whale Migration Update: February 9, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

Gray Whale Migration Route
(Click on face of map)

Welcome to the Whale Trail
As you sit in your cozy classrooms today, where are the California gray whales? They are making two-way traffic along the whale trail! (See map.) Are you surprised to learn that many are still plowing south on their 5,000-6,000 mile swim from Alaska to Baja Mexico? Most gray whales are in those warm Mexican lagoons right now, mating or giving birth. But a few adult and subadult whales have already started the northward migration back to Alaska. Meanwhile, "Gray Whale Fever" is in full swing. Hopeful whale watchers are flocking to the lagoons and Pacific Coast from far and wide to see the whales. Let's join them for the latest field notes and data. But first, enjoy our print-and-fold booklet:

Track the Whales: Latest Data
In each migration update, we'll share sightings and live data from two American Cetacean Society (ACS) Gray Whale Census sites. (See About This Study.) Whales are first counted along the coastal route as they pass the ACS-LA post near Los Angeles (click #5 on map above). Farther north, they're counted from a mainland post near Goleta, CA--10 miles west of Santa Barbara. (See #6 on map). Right now, no one is taking a census of animals going through the islands, but ACS-CI hopes that their data will help in determining the percentage of whales on both routes: along the coast and through the Channel Islands. How many will choose the shorter route? How long will it take for the first cow/calf pair (mother/baby pair) to swim from Los Angeles to the Channel Islands? When will the first cow/calf pair reach Kodiak on the Gulf of Alaska? Look for some answers in this seasons' data, collected from 1 February through mid May. This lesson explains how to lay the groundwork for our study, and how to collect, graph, and analyze the ACS data in each migration update:

1. COLLECT DATA. Here are your links to the latest data (Feb. 1-7, 2005), and a blank data sheet for recording data for the full month of February:

DATA and DATA SHEETS
Los Angeles Channel Islands
Latest Data Latest Data
Student Data Sheet [PDF] Student Data Sheet [PDF]

2. GRAPH DATA. Create your own graphs for each month's data, or use ours:

FEBRUARY GRAPHS
Los Angeles Channel Islands
Northbound (GIF) (PDF) Northbound (GIF) (PDF)
North and Southbound (GIF) (PDF)  

 

SAMPLE GRAPHS
Gray Whale Migration Off the California Coast
Whales passing per day in February, 2005
Northbound and Southbound
Los Angeles 
 Northbound
Los Angeles 		Northbound
Channel Islands
Data Courtesy of the American Cetacean Society of Los Angeles and Channel Islands

3. ANALZYE DATA.
Verbally describe today's data in journals or class/group discussion. Note your predictions and explain your reasoning:

  • What do the data show about whale traffic during the first week of February?
  • At which of the two sites would you prefer to go whalewatching?
  • What surprises you the most about the migration pattern so far?
  • What new questions do the data raise?
  • When do you predict the first northbound calf will be seen at each site? Why?
  • Describe how you think the migration past Los Angeles and Channel Islands might be different. Explain your thinking.

New data and guiding questions in each report will provide an opportunity to revisit and revise predictions. Many seasons of previous data exist for the ACS-Los Angeles study, but the ACS-Channel Islands census is in its very first year. That means many surprises and questions for the scientists and YOU! For example, here's something that the Channel Islands scientists think about:

North? South? East? West? Challenge Question #1
"Looking due south we see whales pass right in front of Coal Oil Point in Goleta, California (10 miles west of Santa Barbara)."
Michael H. Smith, ACS-CI

Our first Challenge Question requires that you pull out a California map. Look at the coast and locate Goleta (34.40 N, -119.69 W). Here the ACS-CI is conducting a Gray Whale census of the northbound migration (whales en route from Mexico to Alaska). Then look at this photo and caption for another important clue. The question comes from Michael H. Smith, Research Chair of The American Cetacean Society-Channel Islands (ACS-CI). After you study the map and photo/caption, send us your answer to Michael's question:

Challenge Question #1:

"The volunteers in one day saw eight gray whales go by. Six were traveling in an easterly direction, while two were headed in a westerly direction. How many whales were going north to Alaska?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Kiss for a Baby Whale
Do you wonder what it would be like to look over the side of a small motorboat and have a huge gray whale mother and her curious baby glide up to you? Some lucky teens from Knoxville, Iowa show what it’s like. They went on a whale watching tour to Mexico last winter. Here’s tour leader Keith Jones’s video clip of a student kissing a baby whale! 

gwhale_picklehead

Kissing A Baby Whale
Watch It Now
Tips

Southbound Babies: Journaling Question
Each year, a few gray whale calves are born before their mothers reach the warm, safe lagoons of Baja California Mexico where most of the births take place. Between Dec. 1 and 7 February, 26 southbound calves had been counted by the ACS-Los Angeles observers. How does being born in the open ocean during their mother's migration affect the calves? So far, scientists can only wonder. After all, it's tough to study what you can't see and keep track of. Read what two scientists think about southbound babies:

Try This! Journaling Question
What do you think are the best conditions for a baby whale's birth and survival in its first months of life? Make a list based on your own ideas and the scientists' comments in "Southbound Babies." Explain your thinking.

Teacher Tips: Assessment Strategies
Journey North’s new Assessment section gives you a wide range of specific strategies and tools for weaving in continuous assessment, in alignment with the approach called for by The National Science Education Standards and other subject area standards. It’s there to help you! See:

Try This! Easy-to-Make Project Portfolios
This lesson shows how to create a 9 X 12 project portfolio where students collect, record and display qualitative and quantitative observations, life cycle studies, weather and mapping information, research findings, and more--all in one convenient, creative package. It’s a great way to start a new Journey North season:

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an email message to: jn-challenge-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #1.
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above.

The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on February 24, 2005.

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