Scientists have observed massive whale emissions for decades. The authors of the study examined 31-year data on whale behavior obtained by NOAA and compared them with data on sunspots, as well as with data on radio frequency noise caused by solar activity and Ap-index – an indicator of the average daily level of geomagnetic activity. The study found that whales are 2.3 times more likely to be ejected on days with more sunspots, dark areas on the Sun caused by magnetic activity, and associated with solar storms.

According to their conclusions, this means that whales rely on some sort of magnetic sensor for navigation, and when they go astray, it is not the changes in the Earth’s magnetic field that are to blame, but additional noise that disrupts their ability to “magnetoreception.”