In ecology, the term "abundance" refers to the number of individual animals seen over a period of time at a particular location. The following diagram represents estimates of the eastern north Pacific gray whale based on sightings from a research station in California.

Gray Whale Abundance Predicted from Sightings at Granite Canyon Research Station 30 000- 25 000- Abundance 20 000- 15 000_ 10 000- 1970 1980 1990 2000 Year NOAA Research