Thermal conductivity of minke whale blubber

Abstract

1. 1. Four blubber samples were taken from each of nine minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) caught in the north-east Atlantic between May and September, and thermal conductivity, blubber thickness, per cent lipid and per cent water content were determined. 2. 2. A positive correlation between blubber conductivity and water content, and a negative correlation between conductivity and lipid content, were found, while the relationship between blubber thickness and thermal conductivity was not significant. 3. 3. Thermal conductivity, blubber thickness and total thermal resistance of the blubber layer varied significantly between different regions. 4. 4. The average weighted blubber conductivity was 0.25 (SD = 0.03) Wm −1K −1 ( n = 9), which implies that the heat loss rates of baleen whales have been underestimated in a number of previously published studies.