Stephanie H. Stack

Stephanie H. Stack

she/her

Marine mammalogist | Humpback whale behavioural ecology & energetics | UAV photogrammetry | Conservation science

Humpback whale body condition and climate change

Overview

My doctoral research examines how climate-driven variability in Antarctic feeding conditions shapes the energetic state of humpback whales across the eastern Australian (E1) migratory corridor. By combining drone-based aerial photogrammetry, epigenetic ageing, and biologging, I link energy allocation at the individual level to patterns in growth, reproduction, migration, and population dynamics under a changing climate.

Key questions

  • How does interannual variability in Antarctic primary productivity affect humpback whale body condition at key migration stopover points?
  • What are the energetic costs of migration, pregnancy, and lactation, and how do these vary with individual condition and environmental context?
  • How rapidly do eastern Australian humpback whales attain mature body size, and does this differ from other populations?
  • Can individual-level energetic state predict reproductive success and population-level trends?

Methods

  • UAV-based aerial photogrammetry for body volume and body condition index (BCI) estimation
  • Epigenetic clock methods for individual age estimation
  • Biologging tag data to quantify nursing behaviour and maternal investment
  • Integration with remotely-sensed Antarctic environmental data (sea ice extent, chlorophyll-a, sea surface temperature)

Study sites

Annual surveys at Hervey Bay (Queensland) and Eden (New South Wales), representing critical stopover points for the E1 humpback whale population on both the northbound and southbound migration.

Selected outputs

  • Stack et al. (under review) — Body condition of humpback whales off eastern Australia reflects interannual variability in Southern Ocean climate.
  • Stack et al. (under review) — Contemporary growth curves for eastern Australian humpback whales using aerial photogrammetry. Marine Mammal Science.
  • Stack et al. (2026) — Why warmer oceans are a problem for humpback whales. Frontiers for Young Minds. DOI: 10.3389/frym.2026.1581310
  • von Hammerstein, Setter, van Aswegen, Currie & Stack (2022) — High-resolution projections of global sea surface temperatures reveal critical warming in humpback whale breeding grounds. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.837772

Funding

AUD $15,000 — Griffith University School of Environment and Science (2023–2026). Griffith University Postgraduate Research Scholarship and International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2024–2026).