THE WILD SIDE
As October began, several humpback whales returned to Skjálfandi Bay. Once again, the bay seems to come alive, attracting these gentle giants back to one of their important feeding grounds.
While we have enjoyed watching the whales feed over the past few days, the weather has other plans for us today, keeping us safely on land while the wind and waves take over the bay.
Of course, we’d much rather have calm, flat seas every day and be able to head out onto the bay without having to face the full force of nature. Stormy weather and rough seas can easily prevent us from heading out to admire the gentle giants of the ocean. But while rough weather can make things challenging for us on the surface, it can actually be beneficial for the ocean and help bring life back into the bay.
Strong winds churn and mix the water, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water from deeper parts of the ocean towards the surface. This process, known as upwelling, happens when wind pushes surface water away and deeper water rises to replace it.
The waves created by strong winds also help mix oxygen and nutrients throughout the water column, creating favourable conditions for a wide variety of marine life. And this is where the whales come in.
The nutrient-rich waters of Skjálfandi Bay help support an abundance of microscopic life, including phytoplankton. These tiny organisms form the foundation of the marine food web, providing food for zooplankton and small fish, which in turn become food for larger fish and, ultimately, the whales.
This abundance of food is one of the main reasons whales return to Skjálfandi Bay year after year. Species such as humpback whales come here primarily to feed, taking advantage of the rich feeding grounds that the bay provides. During the feeding season, the whales can find plenty of krill and small schooling fish and other prey concentrated in these productive waters, allowing them to build up the energy reserves they need to survive and migrate.
So, while stormy days may make for a bumpy ride and sometimes keep us safely in harbour, the forces of wind and waves are an important part of the natural processes that keep Skjálfandi Bay productive and full of life.
The rough seas we experience today are, in many ways, helping to create the rich feeding grounds that bring the whales back to Húsavík tomorrow.