An international group of scientists from Australia, Russia, the Philippines, Mexico, the USA, Canada and other countries has identified the cause of the death of approximately 7 thousand humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Royal Society Open Science (RSOS).
Using artificial intelligence (AI), biologists analyzed data on marine mammal populations over the past 20 years and found that a 20% decline in humpback whale numbers in the region coincided with the marine heatwave of 2012-2021.
In 2013, ocean temperatures were 5.6°C above average. The abnormal heat zone covered an area of 4 million square kilometers.
The heatwave continued for three years, causing toxic algal blooms, changes in the distribution of fish species, numerous disruptions to commercial fishing and declines in marine life. The Northeast Pacific did not return to colder conditions until late 2016.
Rapidly warming waters are depriving humpback whales of food, causing their population in the North Pacific to drop from 33,488 to 26,662, researchers say.
Previously, scientists for the first time spoke There is a whale on its tongue.