Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink
Variably buoyant, dead Cetacea may float, or sink and later bloat to refloat if ambient temperature and pressure allow sufficient decomposition gas formation and expansion. Mortality can result from acute or chronic disease, fishery entanglement, vessel collision, noxious noises, or toxicant spills....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00333/full |
| _version_ | 1818190647420518400 |
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| author | Michael J. Moore Glenn H. Mitchell Teri K. Rowles Greg Early |
| author_facet | Michael J. Moore Glenn H. Mitchell Teri K. Rowles Greg Early |
| author_sort | Michael J. Moore |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Variably buoyant, dead Cetacea may float, or sink and later bloat to refloat if ambient temperature and pressure allow sufficient decomposition gas formation and expansion. Mortality can result from acute or chronic disease, fishery entanglement, vessel collision, noxious noises, or toxicant spills. Investigators often face the daunting task of elucidating a complex series of events, in reverse order, from when and where an animal is found, and to diagnose the cause of death. Various scenarios are possible: an animal could die at sea remaining there or floating ashore, or strand on a beach alive, where it dies and, if cast high enough, remain beached to be scavenged or decompose. An animal that rests low on a beach may refloat again, through increased buoyancy from decomposition gas and favorable tides, currents, and wind. Here we review the factors responsible for the different outcomes, and how to recognize the provenance of a cetacean mortality found beached, or floating at sea. In conclusion, only some carcasses strand, or remain floating. Negatively buoyant animals that die at depth, or on the surface, and sink, may never surface, even after decomposition gas accumulation, as in cold, deep waters gas may fail to adequately reduce the density of a carcass, precluding it from returning to the surface. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:02:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c5e09d1f5c4a4464bb15441c49457dcb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:02:02Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c5e09d1f5c4a4464bb15441c49457dcb2022-12-22T00:45:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452020-05-01710.3389/fmars.2020.00333534514Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, SinkMichael J. Moore0Glenn H. Mitchell1Teri K. Rowles2Greg Early3Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United StatesNaval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, RI, United StatesNOAA Marine Mammal Health Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD, United StatesIntegrated Statistics, Woods Hole, MA, United StatesVariably buoyant, dead Cetacea may float, or sink and later bloat to refloat if ambient temperature and pressure allow sufficient decomposition gas formation and expansion. Mortality can result from acute or chronic disease, fishery entanglement, vessel collision, noxious noises, or toxicant spills. Investigators often face the daunting task of elucidating a complex series of events, in reverse order, from when and where an animal is found, and to diagnose the cause of death. Various scenarios are possible: an animal could die at sea remaining there or floating ashore, or strand on a beach alive, where it dies and, if cast high enough, remain beached to be scavenged or decompose. An animal that rests low on a beach may refloat again, through increased buoyancy from decomposition gas and favorable tides, currents, and wind. Here we review the factors responsible for the different outcomes, and how to recognize the provenance of a cetacean mortality found beached, or floating at sea. In conclusion, only some carcasses strand, or remain floating. Negatively buoyant animals that die at depth, or on the surface, and sink, may never surface, even after decomposition gas accumulation, as in cold, deep waters gas may fail to adequately reduce the density of a carcass, precluding it from returning to the surface.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00333/fullcadaverbeachsinkfloatfatecetacean |
| spellingShingle | Michael J. Moore Glenn H. Mitchell Teri K. Rowles Greg Early Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink Frontiers in Marine Science cadaver beach sink float fate cetacean |
| title | Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink |
| title_full | Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink |
| title_fullStr | Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink |
| title_short | Dead Cetacean? Beach, Bloat, Float, Sink |
| title_sort | dead cetacean beach bloat float sink |
| topic | cadaver beach sink float fate cetacean |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00333/full |
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