#VIRTUALWhale Join us for a virtual whale watch over the coming months as bowhead and other whales migrate around Arctic waters. We will follow where these whales travel in the Arctic and what their movements are telling us.

Bowhead whales spend their entire lives in Arctic or subarctic waters, migrating north and south as the sea ice advances and retreats. They are designed to live in cold waters with bodies that have a substantial layer of blubber. They have a thick skull and have a dorsal ridge, instead of a fin on their back, which allows them to break through thick Arctic sea ice.

But with Arctic waters warming, bowhead and other whales have been spending more time further north – parts of the ocean where these species have not been seen before. These changes in how and where bowhead and other whales’ have broader impacts.

Competition is predicted to play a role. Having other whales present further north means that bowhead whales may have to compete for food. For instance, all other whales could be prey for killer whales – one of the new species that have moved north to the Arctic. Changes like these could alter the underlying dynamics of food webs in different parts of the Arctic.