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Acoustic research compiled of underwater sound recordings analysed by artificial intelligence suggests that bowhead whales are likely breeding beneath the sea ice northwest of Spitsbergen, while using the open waters of the eastern Fram Strait as a migratory corridor.
These are the findings of a long-term study led by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and now published in the scientific journal, Scientific Reports.
Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, located in the high Arctic Ocean roughly halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The surrounding waters, including the Fram Strait between Spitsbergen and Greenland, form a critical gateway between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans and are strongly influenced by shifting sea-ice conditions.
The study was led by researchers from AWI’s Ocean Acoustics Group, who use underwater hydrophones to monitor marine life in remote polar regions year-round. Bowhead whales, which occur exclusively in the Arctic Ocean, are known for producing complex and varied vocalisations.
High song diversity in a given area is widely considered a strong indicator of breeding activity.
Across the vast, partially ice-covered Arctic Ocean, AWI scientists have deployed hydrophones capable of continuously recording underwater sounds. These instruments allow researchers to document whale presence and behaviour without being physically present, offering rare insight into habitats that are difficult or impossible to access by conventional observation.
A team led by first author Marlene Meister focused on the bowhead whale population around Spitsbergen – a population that was heavily depleted during commercial whaling, falling from an estimated 33,000 – 65,000 animals to just a few hundred. Although protected since the 1930s, the population has shown limited signs of recovery.
Bowhead whales are particularly vulnerable to the ongoing loss of Arctic sea ice, which provides both feeding opportunities and refuge from predators such as orcas.
“If the ice disappears, the population will lose a central habitat,” says AWI biologist Marlene Meister. “It is likely not possible for the whales to simply move farther north, as food availability there is very limited.”
At the same time, shrinking ice cover is opening the Arctic Ocean to increased shipping activity, raising the risk of noise pollution, oil contamination, and ship strikes.
