Question

a marine biologist is studying the humpback whale population around the hawaiian islands. in the summer, there are no humpback whales near the islands. however, in the late fall, many whales begin to migrate to the area to give birth to their young. they remain there over the course of the winter, and then all begin to migrate away again in the spring. which graph could show the number of humpback whales around the hawaiian islands from summer through spring?

Explanation:

Step1: Map summer whale count

Summer count = 0, so start at $y \approx 0$.

Step2: Map late fall migration

Late fall: whales arrive, $y$ increases.

Step3: Map winter population

Winter: whales stay, $y$ remains high.

Step4: Map spring migration

Spring: whales leave, $y$ drops back to 0.

Step5: Match to graph

Only the top-left graph starts at 0, rises to a steady high, then stays (matches summer→fall→winter→spring pattern).

Answer:

The top-left graph (first graph, starting at a high y-value, dropping to near zero, then rising to a steady high value)