Abundance and distribution of ringed and bearded seals in the Chukchi Sea: a reference for future trends
Ringed ( Pusa hispida) and bearded ( Erignathus barbatus) seals are vulnerable to decreasing sea ice habitat in the rapidly warming Arctic. In April and May 2016, we conducted an aerial survey over the ice-covered areas of the Chukchi Sea using thermal and color cameras to detect and count these seals on sea ice. We related seal counts to environmental variables, and used the relationships to estimate the species’ distributions and abundance. We accounted for incomplete detection due to: seals missed by sensors or image processing errors; behavioral responses to aircraft; or incomplete availability (seals in the water or in snow dens on the ice, called lairs). To our knowledge, this is the first abundance estimate that accounts for use of lairs by ringed seals. We estimated there were 592 577 (95%, 478 448–733 929) ringed seals and 147 421 (95%, 114 155–190 380) bearded seals in the Chukchi Sea. The influence of remotely sensed environmental variables, such as snow depth and ice type, was consistent with the species’ natural history, particularly ringed seals’ need for snow of adequate depth for lairs. Our study provides the first comprehensive abundance estimates for these seals in a large portion of their ranges and establishes a reference for monitoring how their populations respond to Arctic warming.
Authors
- Н. Г. Платонов (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7196-7882)
- Stacie M. Koslovsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9476-5383)
- Jessica M. Lindsay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0738-7856)
- Vladimir I. Chernook (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4091-1031)
- Paul B. Conn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2801-299X)
- Lori Quakenbush
- Brett T. McClintock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6154-4376)
- Josh M. London (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3647-5046)
- Justin A. Crawford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6854-8756)
- Д. М. Глазов (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7707-5500)
- Michael F. Cameron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5961-6796)
- A. N. Vasilyev
- Cynthia L. Christman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0632-0403)
- Д. И. Литовка (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7476-9902)
- Peter L. Boveng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2732-4833)
- Amy L. Willoughby (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8423-4557)
- Irina S. Trukhanova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9058-4481)
- Andrew L. Von Duyke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7831-7388)
- Benjamin X. Hou
- Erin L. Richmond
- Erin E. Moreland
- Lois A. Harwood
Institutions
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game (US)
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (US)
- Marine Mammal Center (US)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Pacific Environment (US)
- Arctic Research Centre (SE)
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Fisheries Science Center (US)
- North Slope Borough (US)
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution (RU)
- Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (RU)
- Government of Northwest Territories (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Arctic Science
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2024-0068
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Marine animal studies overview
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.87