Stable isotope analysis of 1987-1991 zooplankton samples and bowhead whale tissues. Final report
Stable isotope analyses of bowhead whale tissue samples and bowhead whale prey organisms collected over the years 1987 to 1991 were used to provide detail on the isotope ratio gradients evident in the arctic Alaskan zooplankton and to verify previous findings regarding the growth rates and age determination techniques developed for bowhead whales. Zooplankton of the Bering and Chukchi seas are enriched in (13)C relative to the eastern Beaufort Sea. The analysis of baleen from bowhead whales taken between 1987 to 1990 indicate that the whales are slow-growing and the young animals between year one and about six to seven years of age, undergo a period of little or no linear growth. The authors estimate that bowheads require 16-18 years to reach the length of sexual maturity, i.e., 13-14 m. From baleen Delta(13C) cycles, a 20 year record of the isotope ratios in the phytoplankton of the northern Bering and Chukchi seas was constructed. The long-term record has been compared with the temperature anomalies in surface waters of the Bering Sea. The Delta(13C) of the zooplankton is inversely correlated with temperature and refutes current models attempting to relate ocean temperature, and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with the Delta(13C) of ocean sediment organic matter.
- Research Organization:
- Alaska Univ., Fairbanks, AK (United States). Inst. of Marine Science
- OSTI ID:
- 6698821
- Report Number(s):
- PB-93-135879/XAB; CNN: DI-14-35-0001-30472
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CARBON ISOTOPES
DETECTION
ZOOPLANKTON
SAMPLING
AGE DEPENDENCE
ALASKA
ANIMALS
ARCTIC REGIONS
BEAUFORT SEA
BERING SEA
BIOLOGY
CARBON DIOXIDE
CETACEANS
CHUKCHI SEA
COPEPODS
FOOD CHAINS
GROWTH
ISOTOPE RATIO
LENGTH
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC MATTER
PHYTOPLANKTON
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SEX DEPENDENCE
STATISTICAL DATA
SURFACE WATERS
TISSUES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARCTIC OCEAN
ARTHROPODS
BODY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CRUSTACEANS
DATA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIMENSIONS
ECOSYSTEMS
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MATTER
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACIFIC OCEAN
PLANKTON
PLANTS
POLAR REGIONS
USA
VERTEBRATES
540310* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)