scholarly journals Fin whale acoustic populations present in New Zealand waters: Description of song types, occurrence and seasonality using passive acoustic monitoring

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253737
Author(s):  
Alexandra N. Constaratas ◽  
Mark A. McDonald ◽  
Kimberly T. Goetz ◽  
Giacomo Giorli
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Signal Processing Algorithm ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Cook Strait ◽  
Correlation Threshold ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Song Types

Southern fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are known to migrate from the Antarctic to mid-latitudes during winter for breeding, but the occurrence and distribution of this species is not well known in the waters around New Zealand. The ‘doublet’ calls are one of the main calls emitted specifically by fin whales and repeated in a regular pattern, which make the acoustic detection of these calls relevant to detect the presence of fin whales. Using a signal processing algorithm to detect ‘doublet’ calls emitted by fin whales, we studied the occurrence, characteristics and seasonality of these ‘doublet’ calls in two regions around New Zealand; Cook Strait in 2016/2017 and offshore Gisborne in 2014/2015. The call detection procedure consisted of binarization of the spectrogram and a cross-correlation between the binarized spectrogram and a template of binarized ‘doublet’ calls spectrogram. A binarization threshold for the data spectrograms and a cross correlation threshold were then determined through multiple trials on a training dataset and a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. Fin whale ‘doublet’ calls occurred on the east side of New Zealand’s Cook Strait during austral winter, specifically in June 2017 and offshore Gisborne in June-August 2014. No ‘doublet’ calls were detected on the west side of Cook Strait. The ‘doublet’ calls’ Inter-Note Interval (INI) was similar in both datasets. However, there was a difference in alternation of the mean frequency for both HF components of ‘doublet’ calls in Cook Strait and Gisborne. As the song types were compared with those previously described in the literature, our findings suggest that some fin whales wintering in New Zealand waters may be part of a broader ‘acoustic population’ whose range extends west to southern Australia and south to Antarctica.

A Red Water Bloom of Rotifers in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Nature ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 186 (4721) ◽  
pp. 328-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
VIVIENNE CASSIE
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Water Bloom ◽  
Cook Strait

The Propulsive Powers of Blue and Fin Whales

1948 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. KERMACK
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Mammalian Muscle ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Horse Power

1. If the flow of water over the body of a Blue or a Fin whale be free from turbulence, the horse-power required per lb. of locomotory muscle is of the order of a tenth of the value estimated by Gray (1936) for the porpoise and dolphin. 2. If the flow be turbulent in these large whales the horse-power required per lb. of muscle agrees closely with Gray's estimate for the smaller Cetacea, or for the other types of mammalian muscle that have been investigated.

scholarly journals Small Blubber Samples (50 mg) Sufficient for Analyses of 10 Stress and Reproductive Steroid Hormones in Gray and Fin Whales via Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiana Wittmaack ◽  
Jorge Urbán Ramírez ◽  
Daniela Bernot-Simon ◽  
Sergio Martínez-Aguilar ◽  
Seenivasan Subbiah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Endogenous Hormones ◽  
Tissue Mass ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Calibration Methods ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Fitness And Health ◽  
Free Ranging

Information on stress, reproductive fitness, and health is difficult to obtain in wild cetaceans but critical for conservation and management. The goal of this study was to develop a methodology requiring minimal blubber mass for analysis of reproductive and stress steroid hormones and, hence, suitable for cetacean biopsies. Blubber biopsies and samples were collected from free-ranging and stranded gray and fin whales. Steroid hormones were extracted from blubber samples as small as 50 mg using liquid-liquid extraction methodology developed to handle the high fat content of blubber. Samples were analyzed via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for 10 hormones: aldosterone, androstenedione, cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone, 17β-estradiol, estrone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone, and testosterone. As part of the optimization, homogenization via bead beating and blade dispersion were compared, and the former found superior. To investigate optimal yet minimal tissue mass required, hormone panels were compared among paired 50, 150, and 400 mg samples, the latter two being commonly reported masses for hormone blubber analysis. Results indicated that 50 mg of blubber was suitable and sometimes superior. Additionally, significant differences in precision values were observed between species, possibly stemming from differences in blubber composition, and relevant to homogenization technique selection and calibration methods that use blubber matrix matches obtained from a species other than the study species. Based on recovery and precision values, our methodology was accurate and precise in the measurement of spiked known quantities for all 10 hormones, confirming the methodology capabilities in 50 mg blubber mass in both species. Altogether, and in our specific sample sets, all endogenous hormones, except corticosterone, were identified above the detection limit in 50 mg gray whale blubber samples while all endogenous hormones, except aldosterone, cortisone, estrone, and progesterone, were detected in 50 mg fin whale blubber samples. We present a robust methodology for the analysis of multiple reproductive and stress steroid hormones in minimal masses of cetacean blubber compatible with small biopsies. Finally, we identified statistically significant differences in corticosteroid concentrations between stranded and free ranging animals.

scholarly journals Contrasting Phylogeographic Patterns Among Northern and Southern Hemisphere Fin Whale Populations With New Data From the Southern Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJosé Pérez-Alvarez ◽  
Sebastián Kraft ◽  
Nicolás I. Segovia ◽  
Carlos Olavarría ◽  
Sergio Nigenda-Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Middle Latitudes ◽  
The North ◽  
Southeastern Pacific ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Dispersal Events

Four fin whale sub-species are currently considered valid: Balaenoptera physalus physalus in the North Atlantic, B. p. velifera in the North Pacific, B. p. quoyi and B. p. patachonica in the Southern Hemisphere. The last, not genetically validated, was described as a pygmy-type sub-species, found in low to mid latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Genetic analyses across hemispheres show strong phylogeographic structure, yet low geographic coverage in middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere impeded an assessment within the area, as well as evaluating the validity of B. p. patachonica. New mtDNA sequences from the Southeastern Pacific allowed an improved coverage of the species’ distribution. Our phylogenetic analyses showed three main lineages and contrasting phylogeographic patterns between Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Absence of recurrent female mediated gene flow between hemispheres was found; however, rare dispersal events revealing old migrations were noted. The absence of genetic structure suggests the existence of one single taxa within the Southern Hemisphere. Thus, until further evidence supporting this subspecies can be produced, such as genetic, ecological, behavioral, or morphological data, we propose that all fin whales from the Southern Hemisphere, including those from middle latitudes of the Southeastern Pacific belong to B. p. quoyi subspecies. This information is important for the current assessment of fin whales, contributing to the evaluation of the taxonomic classification and the conservation of the species.

Pioneer whalers in the Ross Sea, 1923–33

Polar Record ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Barr ◽  
James P.C. Watt
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
British Government ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Pack Ice ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Blue Whales ◽  
Factory Ship

On Christmas Eve 1923, the whaling factory ship Sir James Clark Ross, commanded by Captain Carl Anton Larsen and accompanied by five catchers, reached the front of the Ross Ice Shelf; these were the first whaling vessels to operate in the Ross Sea. They had been dispatched by the Norwegian whaling company Hvalfangeraktienselskapet Rosshavet, which had obtained a licence from the British government. For most of the 1923–24 season, Sir James Clark Ross occupied an uneasy anchorage in the deep waters of Discovery Inlet, a narrow embayment in the front of the Ross Ice Shelf, while her catchers pursued whales widely in the Ross Sea. During that first season they killed and processed 221 whales (211 blue whales and 10 fin whales), which yielded 17,300 barrels of oil. During the next decade, with the exception of the 1931–32 season, Sir James Clark Ross and two other factory ships operated by Rosshavet, C.A. Larsen and Sir James Clark Ross II, operated in the Ross Sea. From the 1926–27 season onwards these ships were joined by up to three other factory ships and their catchers, operated by other companies. During the decade 1923–33 the Rosshavet ships killed and processed 9122 whales in the Ross Sea sector, mainly in the open waters of the Ross Sea south of the pack-ice belt. Total harvest for all factory ships from the Ross Sea sector for the period was 18,238 whales (mainly blue whales) producing 1,490,948 barrels of oil. From 1924 onwards the Rosshavet catchers wintered in Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island, New Zealand, and from 1925 onwards a well-equipped shipyard, Kaipipi Shipyard, operated on Price Peninsula in Paterson Inlet to service the Rosshavet ships.

scholarly journals Spatial Prediction of Landslides Using Hybrid Integration of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms with Frequency Ratio and Index of Entropy in Nanzheng County, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Limin Fan ◽  
Cheng Li ◽  
Binh Thai Pham
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Frequency Ratio ◽  
Spatial Prediction ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Hybrid Integration ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Regional Survey ◽  
Index Of Entropy ◽  
Bivariate Models

The main object of this study is to introduce hybrid integration approaches that consist of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithms (SysFor) and two bivariate models, namely the frequency ratio (FR) and index of entropy (IoE), to carry out landslide spatial prediction research. Hybrid integration approaches of these two bivariate models and logistic regression (LR) were used as benchmark models. Nanzheng County was considered as the study area. First, a landslide distribution map was produced using news reports, interpreting satellite images and a regional survey. A total of 202 landslides were identified and marked. According to the previous studies and local geological environment conditions, 16 landslide conditioning factors were chosen for landslide spatial prediction research: elevation, profile curvature, plan curvature, slope angle, slope aspect, stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), sediment transport index (STI), distance to roads, distance to rivers, distance to faults, lithology, rainfall, soil, normalized different vegetation index (NDVI), and land use. Then, the 202 landslides were randomly segmented into two parts with a ratio of 70:30. Seventy percent of the landslides (141) were used as the training dataset and the remaining landslides (61) were used as the validating dataset. Next, the evaluation models were built using the training dataset and compared by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. The results showed that all models performed well; the FR_SysFor model exhibited the best prediction ability (0.831), followed by the IoE_SysFor model (0.819), IoE_LR model (0.702), FR_LR model (0.696), IoE model (0.691), and FR model (0.681). Overall, these six models are practical tools for landslide spatial prediction research and the results can provide a reference for landslide prevention and control in the study area.

scholarly journals Spectroscopy of southern δ Scuti stars

2004 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 275-278
Author(s):  
Malcolm Cropp ◽  
Karen R. Pollard ◽  
Jovan Skuljan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Spectral Line ◽  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Spectroscopic Data ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Correlation Technique ◽  
Echelle Spectrograph ◽  
Cross Correlation Technique ◽  
Scuti Stars ◽  
Δ Scuti Stars

AbstractFour δ Scuti stars were observed with the HERCULES fibrefed échelle spectrograph at Mount John University Observatory, New Zealand. These observations were analysed by looking at the radial velocity variations as given by a cross-correlation technique as well as spectral line moment variations. These results were compared to published photometric studies of these stars to see if the modes identified in the photometry were also present in the spectroscopic data obtained.

Revision of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) subspecies using genetics

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 1653-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick I Archer ◽  
Robert L Brownell ◽  
Brittany L Hancock-Hanser ◽  
Phillip A Morin ◽  
Kelly M Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Recent Analysis ◽  
Snp Analysis ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract Three subspecies of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are currently recognized, including the northern fin whale (B. p. physalus), the southern fin whale (B. p. quoyi), and the pygmy fin whale (B. p. patachonica). The Northern Hemisphere subspecies encompasses fin whales in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. A recent analysis of 154 mitogenome sequences of fin whales from these two ocean basins and the Southern Hemisphere suggested that the North Pacific and North Atlantic populations should be treated as different subspecies. Using these mitogenome sequences, in this study, we conduct analyses on a larger mtDNA control region data set, and on 23 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 144 of the 154 samples in the mitogenome data set. Our results reveal that North Pacific and North Atlantic fin whales can be correctly assigned to their ocean basin with 99% accuracy. Results of the SNP analysis indicate a correct classification rate of 95%, very low rates of gene flow among ocean basins, and that distinct mitogenome matrilines in the North Pacific are interbreeding. These results indicate that North Pacific fin whales should be recognized as a separate subspecies, with the name B. p. velifera Cope in Scammon 1869 as the oldest available name.

Procellariiformes in Cook Strait, New Zealand

1969 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. Secker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cook Strait
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