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Just over 280 offshore orcas are known from the Eastern North Pacific, primarily occurring off the coast of British Columbia. Although forays into the Salish Sea are rare, the area immediately offshore, including the Barkley submarine canyon, is home to large numbers. [ 19 ]
The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, it is found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.
Since liquid water flows, ocean waters cycle and flow in currents around the world. Since water easily changes phase, it can be carried into the atmosphere as water vapour or frozen as an iceberg. It can then precipitate or melt to become liquid water again. All marine life is immersed in water, the matrix and womb of life itself. [7]
Offshore orcas feed on sharks and larger fish in deeper water still, rarely, if ever, coming close to the shore. The researchers collected examples and evidence of killer whales traveling even ...
Southern resident orcas. In terms of cetaceans, both toothed and baleen whales inhabit the coastal waters of the Salish Sea and the offshore waters of Washington and British Columbia. Of these, the orca is the most famous, with humpback whales and gray whales also well known in the area. Most cetaceans, however, are usually seen in the area ...
Water depth and the type of habitat — rocky, sandy or coral reef — also played roles in the approaches the whales took. Drone imagery shows a gray whale using a side-swim technique to find food.
Offshore: A third population of orcas in the northeast Pacific was discovered in 1988, when a humpback whale researcher observed them in open water. As their name suggests, they travel far from shore and feed primarily on schooling fish . [ 25 ]
The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle as it is the source of 86% of global evaporation. [2] The water cycle involves the exchange of energy, which leads to temperature changes. When water evaporates, it takes up energy from its surroundings and cools the environment. When it condenses, it releases energy and warms the environment.