Whales take Northwest Passage as Arctic sea-ice melts (BBC)

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By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News

Bowhead whales, the giants of the Arctic, are using the Northwest Passage to move across the top of the Americas.

Skeletons, DNA samples and harpoon heads have all suggested that bowhead populations living on each side of the continent did meet and mingle.

Now, research published in the journal Biology Letters has used satellite tags to provide confirmation.

The work may provide insights into the development of Arctic cultures in which bowhead hunting plays a central role.

Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources led a team that has satellite-tagged more than 100 bowheads over the last decade - much of the work funded by oil and gas companies interested in the Arctic's new mineral wealth.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14976344