Researchers use drones to study whale health by analyzing their breath in the Arctic.
Collecting whale breath with drones
Scientists flew drones equipped with specialized instruments through the exhaled droplets, or “blows,” of humpback, fin, and sperm whales. They captured the tiny droplets whales release when surfacing to breathe through their blowholes. The technique allowed them to detect a highly infectious virus linked to mass strandings of whales and dolphins worldwide.
Professor Terry Dawson of King’s College London called the method a “game-changer” for monitoring whale health. “It allows us to study pathogens in live whales without stress or harm,” he said. “This provides critical insight into diseases affecting rapidly changing Arctic ecosystems.”
Confirming a deadly virus
The researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture exhaled droplets and combined the samples with skin biopsies collected from boats. They confirmed for the first time that cetacean morbillivirus, a potentially deadly whale virus, circulates above the Arctic Circle. The virus spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises, causing severe illness and mass deaths.
It can cross species and travel across oceans, representing a major threat to marine mammals. The team hopes the breakthrough will allow early detection of deadly threats before they spread widely.
Monitoring whale health in the long term
Helena Costa of Nord University in Norway emphasized the need for long-term surveillance. “Going forward, we must continue using these methods to understand how emerging stressors will shape whale health in the coming years,” she said.
The study involved King’s College London, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in the UK, and Nord University in Norway. It appears in BMC Veterinary Research.
