Data from: Behavioural estimation of blue whale movements in the Northeast Pacific from state-space model analysis of satellite tracks
Data from: Behavioural estimation of blue whale movements in the Northeast Pacific from state-space model analysis of satellite tracks
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Date
2019-02-08
Citation
Mate BR, Palacios DM, Irvine LM, Follett TM. 2019. Data from: Behavioural estimation of blue whale movements in the Northeast Pacific from state-space model analysis of satellite tracks. Movebank Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2Abstract
Baleen whale migrations typically consist of annual movements between productive, high-latitude feeding grounds and unproductive, low-latitude breeding grounds. However, the actual migratory path and whales’ behaviour in these locations are poorly known. The objectives of this study were to apply a switching state-space model to the satellite tracks of blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Northeast Pacific to improve location estimation and gain insight into the migratory (transiting) and foraging (area-restricted search, ARS) behaviours of this population. During the period 1993 to 2007, Argos satellite tags were attached to 159 whales, mainly off the coast of California during late summer, of which 92 tracks were >7 d in duration. There was generally a southward movement during the winter to Baja California and to an area west of the Costa Rica Dome, in the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP). Travel speeds during transit were significantly faster than during ARS movements (mean = 3.70 and 1.05 km h^–1, respectively). On average, 29% of the track time was spent in ARS, and the mean time within an ARS patch was 21 d. The occurrence of ARS behaviour throughout the migration cycle suggests that these animals may forage year-round, but could also indicate limited movements during the reproductive season. The extent of their northward migration from Baja California to Washington varied significantly interannually, likely in response to environmental changes affecting their prey. The long track durations obtained from electronic tagging have provided essential new information about the critical habitats of Northeast Pacific blue whales.
Keywords
Balaenoptera musculus,animal migration,animal movement,animal tracking,area-restricted search,Argos,Baja California,Balaenoptera musculus,blue whale,Pacific Ocean,satellite telemetry
DOIs of related Publications
BibTex
@misc{001/1_5ph88fk2,
title = {Data from: Behavioural estimation of blue whale movements in the Northeast Pacific from state-space model analysis of satellite tracks},
author = {Mate, BR and Palacios, DM and Irvine, LM and Follett, TM},
year = {2019},
URL = {http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2},
doi = {doi:10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2},
publisher = {Movebank data repository}
}RIS
TY - DATA ID - doi:10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2 T1 - Data from: Behavioural estimation of blue whale movements in the Northeast Pacific from state-space model analysis of satellite tracks AU - Mate, Bruce R. AU - Palacios, Daniel M. AU - Irvine, Ladd M. AU - Follett, Tomas M. Y1 - 2019/02/08 KW - Balaenoptera musculus KW - animal foraging KW - animal migration KW - animal movement KW - animal tracking KW - area-restricted search KW - Argos KW - Baja California KW - Balaenoptera musculus KW - blue whale KW - Pacific Ocean KW - satellite telemetry KW - Balaenoptera musculus PB - Movebank data repository UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2 DO - doi:10.5441/001/1.5ph88fk2 ER -