Why whales are being drawn to feeding frenzies within Arctic Circle

Whales are being drawn to “feeding frenzies” within the Arctic Circle by warming waters, reveals new research.Baleen whales are taking advantage of a newly opened-up fish “bonanza” in the Greenland Sea – reaching the Arctic Circle and beyond, according to the study.Scientists say their findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, show that while most species suffer from the effects of global warming, there are a few lucky winners.Professor Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, said: “We show that rising ocean temperatures and declining sea-ice cover have facilitated the widespread occurrence of baleen whales along the East Greenland coast, as far north as 70°N.“This has led to regular mixed ‘feeding frenzies’ of fin whales, humpback whales, and common minke whales – species which historically were only rarely observed in coastal East Greenland.”Prof.Heide-Jørgensen along with colleagues in Greenland, Denmark, and Iceland have documented the latest spectacle of the natural world.But they say it could spell major changes up and down the local food chain.The Arctic and North Atlantic – apart from a “cold blob” south of Greenland – are some of the fastest warming regions on Earth.

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For example, sea surface temperatures east of Greenland have risen by around 2°C since the 1990s.The ice edge in summer retracted far to the north after the mid-2000s, dramatically reducing the extent of pack ice along Greenland’s east coast.The research team conducted the first systematic survey by plane of baleen whales up to 30 miles off the East Greenland coast in August 2015 and in 2024.They added further airborne observations in the summer of 2022, testimon...