Stephen OkkonenUniversity of AlAskA fAirbAnks

Dixon Jones University of AlAskA fAirbAnks

Phil AlataloWoods Hole oceAnogrApHic institUtion

Carin Ashjian Woods Hole oceAnogrApHic institUtion

Mark Baumgartner Woods Hole oceAnogrApHic institUtion

Ronald Brower SrUniversity of AlAskA fAirbAnks

Jaclyn Clement-KinneynAvAl postgrAdUAte scHool

Robert G. CampbellUniversity of rHode islAnd

John CittaAlAskA depArtment of fisH And gAme

Craig GeorgenortH slope boroUgH dept. Wildlife

Kim GoetznAtionAl mArine mAmmAl lAborAtory

Lara Horstmann-DehnUniversity of AlAskA fAirbAnks

Wieslaw MaslowskinAvAl postgrAdUAte scHool

Julie MocklinnAtionAl mArine mAmmAl lAborAtory

Dave RughnAtionAl mArine mAmmAl lAborAtory

Lori QuakenbushAlAskA depArtment of fisH And gAme

Kate StaffordUniversity of WAsHington

Linda Vate BrattstromnAtionAl mArine mAmmAl lAborAtory

special thanks to billy Adams, nok Acker, lewis brower, michael donovan iii, bill kopplin, charles monnett, sue moore, scott oyagak, glenn sheehan, michael stotts, edith suvlu and bryan thomas.Front cover Whales: photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. January Whales: photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. February Plane: photo by Kate Stafford, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. Triple camera: photo by Dave Rugh, NOAA/AFSC/NMML. Whale by ice: photo by Vicki Beaver, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. March Whale eye and spear points: photos by Craig George. Whale: Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. april M/C whale: photo by Vicki Beaver, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. May Whales from land: photo by photo by Kate Stafford, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. Bowhead/beluga: photo by Vicki Beaver, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. June 1-ton whale: photo by Vicki Beaver, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. 5-ton whale: photo by BOWFEST aerial survey team, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. Big bowhead: photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. July Copepod: photo by Celia Gelfman (URI). Bowhead: photo by Amelia Brower, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. august Whale tag: photo by Mark Baumgartner. Whale: photo by Amelia Brower, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. septeMber Whale: photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. october Krill and copepod: photos by Celia Gelfman (URI). Whale stomachs: photos by Craig George. Whale: photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. noveMber Whale stomach: photo by Craig George. Whale: photo by BOWFEST aerial survey team, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719. DeceMber Hydrophone: photo by Kate Stafford, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. Whale: photo by Amelia Brower, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 14245. back cover Photo by Julie Mocklin, NOAA/AFSC/NMML, Permit No. 782-1719.

Support was provided by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. This publication is the result, in part, of research sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under cooperative agreement NA08OAR4320751 with the University of Alaska.

Thanks to Rachel Potter (UAF) for processing the MODIS chlorophyll image.

this calendar illustrates aspects of the life history of bowhead whales. it incorporates traditional knowledge and contemporary research from many individuals representing a variety of institutions, agencies, and organizations.

Bowhead Whales

2 0 1 3 C a l e n da r

A Year in the Life of

Bowhead Whales A Year in the Life of

sun Mon tue WeD thu Fri sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

January | Siqiññaatchiaq 2013

Bowhead WhalesA Year in the Life of

the big picture: tracking bowheads from satellites

Annual range of the Western Arctic stock of bowhead whales as

determined by satellite tagging studies

When and where bowhead whales passed by shore in spring and fall has been known for thousands of years by iñupiat whalers, but where they spent the winter was not well known by hunters or scientists. A cooperative project that began in 2006, and continues today, works with native whalers to put satellite tags on bowhead whales to track their movements wherever they go. these tags have told us: 1) where bowhead whales winter in the bering sea, 2) that some whales do not pass barrow in the spring, but stay in the chukchi sea, 3) that during the summer, some whales go back and forth in the beaufort sea and others go far to the north and east towards greenland, and 4) that in fall, most bowheads travel close to shore in the beaufort sea, then fan out as they cross the chukchi sea and then travel close to the shore of russia before entering the bering sea for the winter.

Qakugulu sukun aġvigit qaaŋiqsaaguutillaaŋi siñaakun upingaami ukiamilu ilisimanigaat Taimaŋa qaŋasaaruk Iñupiat aġviqsiuqtit, aglaan sumi ukiusuutillaaŋich naluvallignigaat tamatkua aŋuniatit naga qimilguuqtit. Paammaaġignikun savaaq isagutiruaq 2006mi, suli igliktuat paŋmanuaġlaan, savaqatigisuugai Iñupiat aġviqsiuqtit pituutchiqsuqługi aġvigit sil.akun naipiqtuługi iglautuaqmata. Matkua pituutat il.itchugipkaġaatigut: 1) sumi aġvigit ukiusuutllaŋi Ualiġmi Taġiumi, 2) il.aani aġvigit ataulaitkaat Utqiaġvik upingaami, aglaan Qulliġmi Taġiumiitchuurut, 3) il.aani upingaami, il.aŋi aġvigit utiqtatqigaaġuurut Qulliġmi Taġiumi suli allat iglaurut kivanmun tuŋaanun Kalaallit Nunaat, suli 4) imalu ukiaġman, iñugiaktuat aġvigit siññiqsraaguurut kivaliġmi Taġiumi, siamiraqsivlutik aasii Qulliġmun Taġiumun aasiisuli iglauraqsivlutik qalivlugu Russit Nunaat isiqsaaqsagamik Ualiġmun Taġiumun ukiuyaqtuahutiŋ.

Vankarem

FA L L

W i n t e R

Uelen

Point Hope

Barrow

Kaktovik Tuktoyaktuk

S P R i n G

SuM M e R

B e a u f o r t S e a

B e r i n g S e a

C h u k c h iS e a

70°n

165°e 180° 165°W 150°W 135°W 120°W 105°W

60°n

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

time (seconds)

low

fr

eque

ncy

(kilo

hert

z)

hig

h

sun Mon tue WeD thu Fri sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

December | Siqing• ill.aq 2013

bowhead whales make a variety of sounds to communicate with each other, navigate in icy Arctic waters, and find food. scientists use hydrophones (underwater microphones, right) to record these sounds. A spectrogram is a picture of the sound showing time (in seconds), frequency (in kilohertz), and loudness (brighter colors). the spectrogram above shows bowhead communication calls.

Aġviġit iñugiaktuanik imiksiutiqaqtut avanmun uqautigamik, igligviksraqtik sivuniumarruŋ sikutigun, suli niqisraqsiugamiŋ. Qimilguuqtit atuguugai (imakkun imiksiugutit , saumiani ) pituksaqługi nippiŋi. Siititiliaq qiñiġaaligaa nippi uuktuługu kayumiŋa (titatigun), qatituniŋa (quaqsaagutikun), suli nipatuniŋa (qumalhaat qaungit). Siititiliaq piġña naluniagaa aġviġum imiksiutaa uqautigamik.

What are bowhead whales saying?

A hydrophone is suspended from a buoy.

Push the button to hear bowhead whale sounds!

Bowhead WhalesA Year in the Life of