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Killer whales rest in the increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean

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Killer whales are smart, adaptive predators that often work together to hunt larger prey. The Arctic Ocean is experiencing a steady decrease in sea ice, which could lead to an increase in killer whale predation and habitat. This could potentially create an ecological imbalance. The decrease in summer sea-ice has led to killer whales spending more time in the Arctic. Underwater microphones were placed off Alaska's western and northern coasts. Brynn Kimber, an researcher from the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies, presented the study, “Tracking killer Whale Movements in Alaskan Arctic Relative to a Loss of Sea Ice,” Dec. 2, in Seattle, at the Acoustical Society of America. Killer whales often travel to different locations to hunt prey species. The analysis of four underwater microphones' acoustic data from 2012 to 2019, by the Seattle-based team, revealed that killer whales have been spending more time in the Arctic Ocean over recent years, despite the risks of being entrapped there. The team's readings show that this is directly related to the decline in sea ice. Kimber stated that although killer whales are not uncommon in these areas, they seem to be staying longer in the area. This is most likely due to a longer open water season. Kimber was not aware of the study's goal to examine killer whales or orcas. She was shocked by the results. “Our research mainly focuses on studying the migration patterns of species through Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort waters, based on acoustic absence or presence. However, I began to notice killer whales in places I hadn't expected. This was the reason I decided to look into our killer whale detections. If certain species of prey are unable to use sea ice to avoid the adaptive predator, the reduction in sea ice could open up new hunting opportunities. The endangered bowhead whale, for example, is at risk of being preyed upon by killer whales but can hide beneath sea ice to avoid being circled by orcas. Another study by another CICOES researcher revealed the first evidence of killer whales attacking the bowhead whales Arctic. Kimber stated that this vulnerability is likely to grow due to the longer open-water season. Kimber stated that although there is a lot of spatial variability and interannual variability, the average September Arctic sea-ice minima is falling at a rate of 13% per ten years compared to 1981 to 2010. “Killer whales have been observed in the Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Ocean in months that were previously ice-covered, and more frequently throughout the summer.

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