Download Adobe PDFMy Ph.D. research focused on the foraging ecology of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in high Arctic Canada and Greenland. Movements, diving behavior, predation levels and bioenergetics were linked to static and dynamic environmental parameters through spatial modeling. Satellite-telemetry data collected from narwhals between 1993-2001 were used to analyze whale behavior (i.e., dive depth, dive duration, vertical speed, time between consecutive dives, surface time, bottom time, movement paths, and home ranges) and relate it to environmental factors such as prey density, bathymetric and slope structure, sea ice dynamics, and fishery interactions. The primary objectives of my dissertation were to examine critical aspects of high Arctic narwhal habitat use patterns, determine considerations between habitat quality and population viability, and outline habitat specific differences based on movement studies. These narwhal spatial habitat use patterns have lead to identifying regions that can be considered critical habitat, minimizing effects of anthropogenic factors, and predicting responses to climate change in the high Arctic.