Support us | Visit us | Contact us 21 September 2011 Researchers
used satellite tracking to monitor the movements of the whales
to discover that in 2010 they travelled between the Atlantic and
Pacific seas via the famously ice-bound passage. Bones found on
beaches in the region suggest that the last time the whales
occupied this area was around 10,000 years ago. While Bowheads
are adept at moving through ice-bound Arctic seas, it was
previously thought that the sea ice in the Northwest Passage was
too impenetrable even for these Arctic specialists. However, the
new observations show Bowheads travelling through the passage in
both directions, suggesting that the rapidly diminishing Arctic
sea ice has allowed them to pass from one ocean to another. The
findings have huge implications for the ecology of marine life
in the region, with the authors stating that their findings “are
perhaps an early sign that other marine organisms have begun
exchanges between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans across the
Arctic. S