Giant whales move into Greenland waters as ice disappears
Climate change is causing sea ice in East Greenland to melt, allowing large whale species like humpbacks and fin whales to move into previously inaccessible coastal waters. Scientists describe this as a major ecological regime shift, with thousands of whales now feeding in the region during the summer.
Why it matters
This shift highlights the rapid and dramatic impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems and marine biodiversity.
Image source, Fernando Ugarte Image caption, Fin whales feed in ice-free East Greenland waters, as scientists observe from their boats
Sea ice has been disappearing from East Greenland, allowing giant whales to take advantage and move in to previously inaccessible areas.
That is the conclusion of a decades-long study that has recorded - and filmed - hundreds of the world's biggest whales including humpbacks, minke and fin whales, feeding in ice-free seas along the coast in summer.
None of these marine mammals were historically found here as they have been locked out of the coastal waters by ice. Now, as climate change warms the sea and melts that ice, they have adapted.
Scientists describe the result as seasonal Arctic "feeding frenzies" - part of a major regime shift in the ocean environment along East Greenland.
Image source, Fernando Ugarte Image caption, A humpback whale feeding in coastal subarctic waters
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