About Mikayla Ranspot

The goal of this study is to validate an isotope-based method to determine if this mortality event was caused by nutritional stress. Gray whales in the northeast Pacific exhibited an unusual mortality event in 2019-2022 that resulted in the death of at least 502 individuals. Through this project, we will measure carbon (d¹³C) and nitrogen (d¹⁵N) isotope values of baleen, a metabolically inert tissue that can be subsampled to provide a multi-year eco-physiological record at the individual level. This approach will enable us to identify periods of metabolic homeostasis versus nutritional stress during the ~1-2 years of their life prior to death.