Dalhousie University|Dalhousie University

Purpose

The locations of zooplankton-food for Right Whales can be linked to ocean fronts which can therefore be a predictor for their habitat. The reserachers propose to detect these fronts from sea surface temperature patterns, which can be obtained from satellite observations. Their focus is the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which is recognized as a whale feeding area. Using probability distribution functions of frontal activity and whale sightings, they will develop probability maps for Right Whale aggregation patterns. They will also correlate these results with satellite-derived indices of dominant currents, like the Gaspé Current, which provides the zooplankton-food for the whales.