MS Student Leads Research on Climate Change Impact to Whales
Biology MS student Josie Slaathaug is investigating how climate change is affecting the health and survival of gray whales along the Pacific Coast. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Award, her research centers on unusual mortality events (UMEs), examining whether shifts in ocean conditions and prey availability are linked to declining body condition, increased strandings, and changes in distribution.
To tackle this question, Slaathaug uses the photo-identification catalog she first created as an intern with The Marine Mammal Center and analyzes data collected across multiple years. This includes photographs, necropsy reports, and detailed records of stranded whales. By identifying individual whales and tracking their health over time, she can examine a subset of the population to better understand local threats and pressures. Her project provides important insights into how climate-driven stressors influence species in the human-ocean interface of urban estuaries such as San Francisco Bay.
A central element of her work is the use of body condition scoring, which measures whale health based on fat reserves and external appearance. This analysis helps reveal whether whales are beginning migration in poor condition, struggling to find sufficient prey, or experiencing compounding stressors in warming waters. Identifying these patterns supports resource managers and conservationists in anticipating future challenges and prioritizing protective actions.
Slaathaug’s leadership extends beyond data analysis. She recently presented her research to hundreds of middle and high school girls at the South Dakota Women in Science Conference, engaging them in an interactive activity that showcased the diversity of scientific careers ending in “-ology.” Her presentation highlighted how ocean research combines biology, ecology, statistics, and conservation, while encouraging young women to envision themselves in these roles. At The Marine Mammal Center, she has also mentored two interns, serving as the primary trainer for fieldwork techniques, boating skills, and the development of independent research projects.
As her project develops, Slaathaug aims to strengthen the scientific foundation for whale conservation in a changing climate. Her work underscores how distribution shifts may increase threats from vessel strikes and other human-caused mortality. By connecting climate change, marine biology, and conservation, this project contributes to the broader effort to understand and mitigate the impacts of a warming ocean on sentinel marine species.