Marine mammal hotspots in the Greenland and Barents Seas
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https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24281Date
2021-02-04Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Author
Hamilton, Charmain Danielle; Lydersen, Christian; Aars, Jon; Biuw, Martin; Boltunov, Andrei; Born, Erik W.; Dietz, Rune; Folkow, Lars; Glazov, Dmitry M.; Haug, Tore; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads-Peter; Kettemer, Lisa Elena; Laidre, Kristin L.; Øien, Nils Inge; Nordøy, Erling Sverre; Rikardsen, Audun H.; Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu; Semenova, Varvara; Shpak, Olga V.; Sveegaard, Signe; Ugarte, Fernando; Wiig, Øystein; Kovacs, Kit M.Abstract
Environmental change and increasing
levels of human activity are threats to marine mam-
mals in the Arctic. Identifying marine mammal hot -
spots and areas of high species richness are essential
to help guide management and conservation efforts.
Herein, space use based on biotelemetric tracking
devices deployed on 13 species (ringed seal Pusa
hispida, bearded seal Erignathus barbatus , harbour
seal Phoca vitulina, walrus Odobenus rosmarus, harp
seal Pagophilus groenlandicus, hooded seal Cysto -
phora cristata, polar bear Ursus maritimus , bowhead
whale Balaena mysticetus, narwhal Monodon mono-
ceros, white whale Delphinapterus leucas , blue
whale Balaenoptera musculus , fin whale Balaeno -
ptera phy salus and humpback whale Megaptera
novaeangliae; total = 585 individuals) in the Green-
land and northern Barents Seas between 2005 and
2018 is reported. Getis−Ord Gi* hotspots were calcu-
lated for each species as well as all species combined,
and areas of high species richness were identified
for summer/autumn (Jun−Dec), winter/spring (Jan−
May) and the entire year. The marginal ice zone
(MIZ) of the Greenland Sea and northern Barents
Sea, the waters surrounding the Svalbard Archipel-
ago and a few Northeast Greenland coastal sites
were identified as key marine mammal hotspots and
areas of high species richness in this region. Individ-
ual hotspots identified areas important for most of the
tagged animals, such as common resting, nursing,
moulting and foraging areas. Location hotspots iden-
tified areas heavily used by segments of the tagged
populations, including denning areas for polar bears
and foraging areas. The hotspots identified herein
are also important habitats for seabirds and fishes,
and thus conservation and management measures
targeting these regions would benefit multiple
groups of Arctic animals.
Publisher
Inter ResearchCitation
Hamilton CD, Lydersen C, Aars J, Biuw EM, Boltunov A, Born E, Dietz R, Folkow P., Glazov DM, Haug t, Heide-Jørgensen M, Kettemer LE, Laidre K, Øien NI, Nordøy ES, Rikardsen A, Rosing-Asvid A, Semenova v, Shpak, Sveegaard S, Ugarte F, Wiig Ø., Kovacs K. Marine mammal hotspots in the Greenland and Barents Seas. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 2021;659:3-28Metadata
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