Characterising underwater noise and changes in harbour porpoise behaviour during the decommissioning of an oil and gas platform

Fernandez-Betelu, Oihane; Graham, Isla M.; Malcher, Freya; Webster, Emily; Cheong, Sei-Him; Wang, Lian; Iorio-Merlo, Virginia; Robinson, Stephen; Thompson, Paul M.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (2024)

Many man-made marine structures (MMS) will have to be decommissioned in the coming decades. While studies on the impacts of construction of MMS on marine mammals exist, no research has…


Using marine mammal necropsy data in animal health surveillance: The case of the harbor porpoise in the Southern North Sea

IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; van den Broek, Jan; Kik, Marja J. L.; Leopold, Mardik F.; Bravo Rebolledo, Elisa; Gröne, Andrea; Heesterbeek, Hans
Frontiers in Marine Science (2024)

Rapid changes of marine ecosystems resulting from human activities and climate change, and the subsequent reported rise of infectious diseases in marine mammals, highlight the urgency for timely detection of…


TDP-43 and Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain of a harbor porpoise exposed to the cyanobacterial toxin BMAA

Garamszegi, Susanna P.; Brzostowicki, Daniel J.; Coyne, Thomas M.; Vontell, Regina T.; Davis, David A.
Toxins (2024)

Cetaceans are well-regarded as sentinels for toxin exposure. Emerging studies suggest that cetaceans can also develop neuropathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disease. The occurrence of neuropathology makes cetaceans an ideal…


Millions of seafloor pits, not pockmarks, induced by vertebrates in the North Sea

Schneider von Deimling, Jens; Hoffmann, Jasper; Geersen, Jacob; Koschinski, Sven; Lohrberg, Arne; Gilles, Anita; Belkin, Igor; Böttner, Christoph; Papenmeier, Svenja; Krastel, Sebastian
Communications Earth & Environment (2023)

Seabed pockmarks are among the most prominent morphologic structures in the oceans. They are usually interpreted as surface manifestation of hydrocarbon fluids venting from sediments. Here we suggest an alternative…


Harbor porpoise losing its edge: Genetic time series suggests a rapid population decline in Iberian waters over the last 30 years

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Stelwagen, Tjibbe; Hoekendijk, Jeroen P. A.; Ferreira, Marisa; Eira, Catarina; Torres‐Pereira, Andreia; Nicolau, Lidia; Thumloup, Julie; Fontaine, Michael C.
Ecology and Evolution (2023)

Impact of climate change is expected to be especially noticeable at the edges of a species' distribution, where they meet suboptimal habitat conditions. In Mauritania and Iberia, two genetically differentiated…


Genome-wide analysis of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) indicates isolation-by-distance across the North Atlantic and potential local adaptation in adjacent waters

Autenrieth, Marijke; Havenstein, Katja; De Cahsan, Binia; Canitz, Julia; Benke, Harald; Roos, Anna; Pampoulie, Christophe; Sigurðsson, Guðjón Már; Siebert, Ursula; Olsen, Morten Tange; Biard, Vincent; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Öztürk, Ayaka Amaha; Öztürk, Bayram; Lawson, John W.; Tiedemann, Ralph
Conservation Genetics (2023)

The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a highly mobile cetacean species of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabits basins that vary broadly in salinity, temperature, and food availability; such variation can drive divergent…


Ship noise causes tagged harbour porpoises to change direction or dive deeper

Frankish, Caitlin K.; von Benda-Beckmann, Alexander M.; Teilmann, Jonas; Tougaard, Jakob; Dietz, Rune; Sveegaard, Signe; Binnerts, Bas; de Jong, Christ A. F.; Nabe-Nielsen, Jacob
Marine Pollution Bulletin (2023)

Shipping is the most pervasive source of marine noise pollution globally, yet its impact on sensitive fauna remains unclear. We tracked 10 harbour porpoises for 5–10 days to determine exposure…