Fin whales feed in the ice-free waters of East Greenland, as scientists observe from their boat

Sea ice has disappeared from Eastern Greenland, allowing giant whales to take advantage and move into previously inaccessible areas. That is the conclusion of decades of research that has recorded - and filmed - hundreds of the world's largest whales including humpback, minke and fin whales, foraging in ice-free seas along the coast in summer. Illustration.

Nonen any of the following marine mammals have historically been found here as they have previously been locked in coastal waters by ice. Now, as climate change warms the seas and melts the ice, they have adapted. Thescientists describe the impact as a seasonal “frenzy” in theArctic - part of a massive regime shift in the marine environment alongEastern Greenland.

Thechange was dramatic: ship-based surveys in the area did not record a single sighting of humpback whales there until2006. Illustration. In 2007, seven humpbacks were sighted, and in 2024, there were 150 sightings of these giant whales on ships.

The first systematic aerial survey of baleen whales - a group that includes fin, minke and humpback whales - off the coast of East Greenland was conducted by researchers during the summers of 2015 and 2024. They combined that information with the tracks of 15 satellite-tagged whales and testimony from Inuit hunters - all of which paint a picture of what lead researcher Prof Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen called a "major ecological regime shift." Illustration.

It is estimated 4.000 humpback whales, 6.000 fin whales and 6.000 minke whales to visit the Sea of Greenland in the summer of 2024. Theresearchers attached satellite tracking devices to some of the whales to follow their seasonal movements

Prof Heide-Jørgensen, from the Institut Source Power Nature Greenland, told BBC News that the changes in the region were "probably the most radical changes we can see in the subarctic region". This shift is driven by rising sea temperatures and food availability.

The whale appears to be feeding on fish that have migrated to the warm waters of East Greenland. They estimate the three whale species will consume at least 800000t of fish and krill during the summer feeding season. Whilesome whales are benefiting from warming waters, Arctic species such as narwhals are losing habitat