Today's Report Includes:
- Whale Watching: News from Observation Posts >>
- Journal Question: What's the Story? >>
- Gray Whales: Weathering Change? >>
- Tracking the Migration: Using Weekly Data ≥≥
-
Links: This Week's Gray Whale Resources ≥≥
Friendly whales delight tourists who come to see them in the nursery
lagoons of Mexico.
Photo:
Caroline Armon
|
Hopeful whale watchers are flocking to the Mexican lagoons and the Pacific Coast from far and wide to see the whales. We've heard from our official observers at points marked by yellow arrows on this globe. Click to see: What's
the whale count at San Ignacio lagoon (#2)? Gray
whales are still swimming south, but what exciting change took
place in numbers at the Los
Angeles post (#6) on
Feb. 16?
On what day did watchers in the Santa Barbara Channel (#7) see
their FIRST northbound whale? What does Wayne Perryman at Pt.
Piedras Blancas predict (#8) about
the calf count? |
Check the news page for San Ignacio nursery lagoon and fill in the blanks: The trend is toward ______ cow/calf pairs in the lagoon each week. On Feb. 7, the total number of whales in the lagoon was _____. In 2008, there are _________ whales in this lagoon than in 2007. The year with the MOST whales in the lagoon in February was ________. Counting whales would be difficult because __________.
Write responses in your Gray Whale Journal. >>
Gray whale babies
and moms play in the warm lagoons in Mexico.
Photo Keith Jones
Plants and animals can handle natural variations in weather from season to season and year to year. But long-term average weather patterns (climate) are changing faster than ever before, and faster than many species can respond. How will this affect the health and survival of living things and their habitats? Scientists are just beginning to explore these questions. They have their eyes on the arctic polar bears and the world's big whales, as climate in the Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on earth (See Resources for more.)
Scientists use under-water sound recorders to listen to gray whales in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska. What astonishing thing did they hear? Why were they so surprised? Find out here! >>
Big news this week is from Gray Whales Count, with their first northbound whale sighting. Big news also comes from Los Angeles, where whales are passing in both directions — south and north. People were watching for what's called the "turnaround" date. The turnaround is the first date on which northbound whales outnumber southbound whales. This year's turnaround has happened!
- Can you figure out when the turnaround took place? >>
- Curious about other years? Compare with 2007, 2006 and 2005! >>
- Graphing gray whale data through the whole season? Add the latest data. >>
Questions About This Week's Data >>
- Scientist's Comment: Wayne Perryman >>
- Lesson: Gray Whales and Changing Sea Ice >> (Be patient when waiting for the ice map animations to begin. It's worth it!)
- Link: Learn about climate change in the Arctic. >>
- Journey North Feature: Climate Connections >>
- Gray Whales for Kids Overview (booklets, photos,videos) >>
The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 12, 2008.
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