Swedish biologist shares jaw-dropping imagery of bowheads breaking thick ice to breathe

On April 6, a Swedish marine biologist posted drone-captured imagery of bowhead whales breaking the thick ice surface to respire. These whales thrust the ice surface, 20cm to 60cm thick, creating hummocks and letting their blowholes out of the water to catch some breath. Fredrik Christiansen, who goes by @fredrik_christiansen on Instagram, shared jaw-dropping videos and images on his social media page. Christiansen is a researcher from Aarhus University, Denmark, dedicated to studying the effects of climate change on the size and health of the whales.

During his expedition, he captured a bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) that cracked a thick layer of ice to breathe, at Disco Bay, Greenland. The video was posted on April 6 and has received 16k views. “This behavior happens frequently during the colder winter and spring months in Disko Bay when few open water patches exist in the ice,” said Christiansen in an interview with Discover Wildlife. Whales are mammals, so they breathe through their lungs (not gills). They use their nostrils, attached to the top of their triangular skull, called blowholes. These holes at the top allow them to breathe through air while their lower body is still, swimming under the water.

The species can grow 20 meters in length, and according to Eskimo Hunters, can break ice as thick as 60 cm. To understand the gravity of the situation regarding the thickness of the ice, researchers from Alaska studied bowheads in 14-15 cm-thick ice in 1985. The research paper stated that the ice “easily supported” a weight of around 500 kg, which included the weight of three men, a heavily loaded sled, and snow machines. The research was primarily observational and conducted in Point Barrow, Alaska. During four days, the team of scientists noted that 665 whales passed their observatory perches, but only 117 whales were seen.

Bowheads, when unable to breathe, drown in the water and die, mentioned the study. Some die due to entrapment in slushy and unbreakable ice. In 1984, Disco Bay reported several whale drownings among other seas, the Bering Sea, and the Soviet Chukchi Sea. These drownings were caused mainly due to entrapments, but currently, our world is facing the problem of imminent cetacean extinction. Rising sea surface temperatures are affecting the extent of sea ice, therefore forcing these whales to change their habitats and migration routes.

Many cetaceans have shifted their route to higher latitudes, and some have altered their migration timing. “These changes may benefit certain species, while others will be placed under extreme pressure and may face an increased risk of extinction,” mentioned the study in Science Direct, titled, Impacts of climate change on cetacean distribution, habitat, and migration. The scientist studied 58 whales in the Arctic and found that the bowhead whale, the beluga, and the narwhal are the most "vulnerable" to climatic changes. In the oceans, whales keep the nutrient cycle, and changes like global warming and ice melting have led to extreme fluctuations in their marine ecosystem. Further, the changed routes and their migration towards the tropics will lead to conditions of little to no food for their survival, therefore leading to the deaths of many.