MAINE PUBLIC • January 2, 2025
For the first time in more than a decade, North Atlantic right whales returned in larger numbers this year to the eastern Gulf of Maine. Scientists believe their return may be due to colder deep water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine this past Spring. Scientists collected the data from buoys placed in the Gulf of Maine, and observed that deep water temperatures were noticeably colder than in recent years. More research is needed, and it's unclear how long the pattern will hold. But deep water temperatures collected each spring could serve as a useful predicter for where members of the critically endangered species might go later on.