How Far North Have the Whales Traveled?
Dr. Dave Rugh
National Marine Mammal Laboratory

Dr. Rugh in his office

Dr. Rugh in the Arctic

May 12: The gray whale migration should now be spread over a very large area. There may be some whales in Mexico's lagoons, still contemplating the trip north; others have ambitiously been northbound since late-February and could be well up into the Bering Sea.

The Sea Ice Challenge
The sea ice was farther south this year than in some recent years, closer instead to the multi-year average, such that even in April there was ice across much of the Bering Sea north of Bristol Bay. However, the ice is thinner than in the past, which means it can break up easily and melt quickly. This might not hold the whales back very much if there are a lot of open areas between ice floes. We generally think of gray whales as being shy of sea ice, but there are times they go well into icy areas. On this date, May 12, there may be a few whales that have already gone through the Bering Strait.

Spreading Out in the Arctic
Soon, if not already, some gray whales will migrate as far north as Point Barrow, and a few brave souls will make it all the way to the Beaufort Sea, perhaps as far east as Canada. Others will cross the Chukchi Sea going to the northwest into the Siberian Sea. The dispersal seems to be getting progressively wider through the years. Some of this may be a result of a larger population; some may be a function of decrease feeding resources farther south in the Bering Sea; and some of the dispersal may be because there isn't as much sea ice to hold the whales back from exploring arctic waters.

• Pull out an atlas. Where will you look to locate the places Dr. Rugh mentions in his report?
• What does thinner ice mean for the whale migration?
• What reasons does Dr. Rugh give for the whales dispersing (spreading out) in the Arctic?

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