δ15N
2 stories filed under δ15N on World Data Ocean. The newest of them: “Reading Growth Layers in Teeth to Calibrate Age in Long-Lived Marine Mammals” and “Stable Isotopes Illuminate Feeding Patterns Before Scottish Whale Stranding”. A killer whale with 52 visible growth layers in its teeth, yet radiocarbon data suggesting an age of 65 years or more, reminds us that even our most trusted age-calibration tools have limits. When 55 long-finned pilot whales stranded in Scotland in July 2023, the event became more than a tragedy; it became a scientific dataset. A Global Hub for Ocean Intelligence 4 World Data Ocean is a centralized digital platform where researchers, scientists, and ocean enthusiasts converge to… The list below is every δ15N story on World Data Ocean, newest first.
Reading Growth Layers in Teeth to Calibrate Age in Long-Lived Marine Mammals
A killer whale with 52 visible growth layers in its teeth, yet radiocarbon data suggesting an age of 65 years or more, reminds us that even our most trusted age-calibration tools have limits. This study validates annual dentine deposition in early life for sperm whales and one killer whale, but reveals that fidelity can erode in older individuals. Integrating bomb radiocarbon with stable isotopes is not optional; it is essential.
Stable Isotopes Illuminate Feeding Patterns Before Scottish Whale Stranding
When 55 long-finned pilot whales stranded in Scotland in July 2023, the event became more than a tragedy; it became a scientific dataset. By analysing carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes across liver, skin, and muscle from 39 individuals, researchers found no consistent evidence of recent dietary or habitat shifts. This matters. The absence of a detectable trophic-level change, despite varied tissue integration timescales, sharpens our understanding of what stranding events can and cannot tell us.