Title |
Periodic variability in cetacean strandings: links to large-scale climate events
|
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Published in |
Biology Letters, May 2005
|
DOI | 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0313 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
K Evans, R Thresher, R.M Warneke, C.J.A Bradshaw, M Pook, D Thiele, M.A Hindell |
Abstract |
Cetacean strandings elicit much community and scientific interest, but few quantitative analyses have successfully identified environmental correlates to these phenomena. Data spanning 1920-2002, involving a total of 639 stranding events and 39 taxa groups from southeast Australia, were found to demonstrate a clear 11-13- year periodicity in the number of events through time. These data positively correlated with the regional persistence of both zonal (westerly) and meridional (southerly) winds, reflecting general long-term and large-scale shifts in sea-level pressure gradients. Periods of persistent zonal and meridional winds result in colder and presumably nutrient-rich waters being driven closer to southern Australia, resulting in increased biological activity in the water column during the spring months. These observations suggest that large-scale climatic events provide a powerful distal influence on the propensity for whales to strand in this region. These patterns provide a powerful quantitative framework for testing hypotheses regarding environmental links to strandings and provide managers with a potential predictive tool to prepare for years of peak stranding activity. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Australia | 24 | 41% |
United Kingdom | 3 | 5% |
United States | 2 | 3% |
Canada | 2 | 3% |
Chile | 1 | 2% |
Bangladesh | 1 | 2% |
New Zealand | 1 | 2% |
Portugal | 1 | 2% |
France | 1 | 2% |
Other | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 22 | 37% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 37 | 63% |
Scientists | 21 | 36% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Brazil | 5 | 2% |
Portugal | 2 | <1% |
Mexico | 2 | <1% |
Australia | 2 | <1% |
United States | 2 | <1% |
South Africa | 1 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Argentina | 1 | <1% |
Italy | 1 | <1% |
Other | 2 | <1% |
Unknown | 286 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 83 | 27% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 44 | 14% |
Student > Master | 40 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 31 | 10% |
Other | 27 | 9% |
Other | 44 | 14% |
Unknown | 36 | 12% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 178 | 58% |
Environmental Science | 53 | 17% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 10 | 3% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 8 | 3% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 7 | 2% |
Other | 12 | 4% |
Unknown | 37 | 12% |