Whale Playground Sheds Light on Melting Arctic

A young whale pokes its melon-shaped head into the cool morning air near this remote island, a sign its herd is thriving despite mounting threats in Russia’s melting Arctic.

Cameras and microphones capture the whale’s every move as scientists use the species’ only shore-side breeding ground to see how they are coping as fleets of oil tankers replace melting ice in their traditional feeding grounds.

“Belugas are a bellwether species…what happens to them reflects the effects of pollution and global warming on the whole ecosystem,” said Vsevolod Belkovich, a professor at the Russian Academy of Science who is leading the study.

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Tags: Animals, Artic, Bellwether Species, Beluga Whales, Russia, Species, Vsevolod Belkovich, Whales