# Bellwethers of change: population modelling of North Pacific humpback whales from 2002 through 2021 reveals shift from recovery to climate response

*PRI Rank #8 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026/rank-8*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #8 |
| 18m citations | 28 |
| Journal | Royal Society Open Science |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1098/rsos.231462 |
| Corresponding authors | Ted Cheeseman |
| Institution | Southern Cross University, Australia |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1098/rsos.231462](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231462)

## Topics

North Pacific humpback whales · mark-recapture methods · photo-identification dataset · ocean-basin-wide abundance estimation · post-whaling population recovery · carrying capacity · prey resource loss · Hawai'i wintering population · Mainland Mexico breeding population · marine heatwave 2014-2016 · climate-driven population decline · Sentinel species · population modeling 2002-2021 · abundance trajectory shift · climate response transition

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026. Accessed 2026-07-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```