Narwhals are highly specialized Arctic cetaceans whose dependence on specific sea ice conditions and prey makes them among the most vulnerable marine mammals to climate change.
Narwhals caught in rapidly closing sea ice suffocate in a phenomenon called sassats, where hundreds can be trapped in shrinking breathing holes. This form of mass mortality causes prolonged, terrifying death for affected individuals. Climate-driven prey shifts force narwhals to expend more energy foraging, potentially compromising body condition for reproduction. Increased Arctic shipping introduces noise that interferes with the echolocation narwhals depend on for navigation and foraging. As the Arctic warms at three times the global average rate, narwhals face a compressing set of climate-driven welfare threats with no evolutionary precedent.