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Dolphins Assist Scientists Studying Effects of Data-logging Tags

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2013Nature, Scienceandreas fahlman, carbon dioxide level, data logging tags, dolphin, dolphin quest, kahala hotel, marine mammal, micah brodsky, michael moore, optimal hydrodynamic design, rae stone, resort in oahu, respiratory flow rate, tamucc, vmd consulting, whoi

For scientists studying marine mammals in the wild, data-logging tags are invaluable tools that allow them to observe animals’ movements and behaviors that are otherwise hidden beneath the waves much of the time. The tags, which temporarily attach to animals using suction, record sounds and gather information about animals’ pitch, speed, and depth. But what effect do the tags have on the animals?

Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) are working with dolphins and their trainers at Dolphin Quest at The Kahala Hotel and Resort in Oahu to answer that question, among others. (more…)

Seeing in the Dark

By Guest PostOctober 19, 2013Natureaquatic habitat, aran mooney, baiji river dolphin, China, chinese academy, chinese radiologist, computed tomography, ct scans, darlene ketten, dolphin, hydrobiology in wuhan, marine mammal, noisy environment, porpoise, representative species, sciences, seeing in dark, three gorges dam, toothed whales, whoi, yangtze finless porpoise

New research sheds light on how porpoises hear in one of the world’s busiest rivers

The Yangtze finless porpoise, which inhabits the high-traffic waters near the Three Gorges Dam in China, is highly endangered, with only about 1,000 animals alive today. Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their Chinese colleagues are using medical technology to shed new light on this species’ critical sense of hearing in a waterway punctuated by constant shipping, dredging, and underwater construction.

“We want to understand how they may be impacted by noise,” said Aran Mooney, a biologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and a lead author on the study published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology. (more…)

‘House Hunters Walrus’

By Guest PostDecember 16, 2012Environment, Nature3d reconstruction, alaska, arctic basin, Arctic sea ice, bering sea, calibration, camera reconfiguration, camera system, chandra kambhamettu, chukchi sea, database, delaware, german research vessel, homes for walrus, ice floes, infrared backscatter, lidar, map, marine mammal, metric data, parallax, pixel resolution, polar bear cub, polar bears, polarstern, rohith kumar, russia, satellites, scott sorensen, sea ice thickness, stereo pair, surface topography, triangulation, university, vims, visual texture, walrus habitat, walrus weight

UD camera system records sea ice, identifies ideal walrus habitats

About the video: A University of Delaware research team led by Chandra Kambhamettu has developed a novel camera system to map the surface topography of Arctic sea ice, identifying the best “homes” for walrus.

Walrus use sea ice as a reproductive, migration and resting habitat. However, as sea ice melts and recedes, this marine mammal increasingly is threatened. (more…)

Wind Energy

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2012Environmentalison bates, ccp, coast, delaware, environmental impact, human activity, jeremy firestone, kateryna samoteskul, marine ecosystem, marine mammal, maryland, nature conservation, new jersey, ocean, offshore wind farms, sea turtle migrations, spatial planning, teresa messmore, university of delaware

UD study assesses ocean use off Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey coasts

The Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration (CCPI) at the University of Delaware has issued a new report about ocean use off the coast of Delaware and parts of Maryland and New Jersey. The study addresses viable places to locate offshore wind farms, taking into account biological, ecological and other considerations. The report includes feedback from interested groups who attended a November 2011 workshop, as well as input from experts.

“This report demonstrates that the ocean is already active with ecological and human activity,” lead-author Alison Bates said. “It shows what government regulators ought to consider in planning for offshore wind development and the beginning of a way forward for offshore wind developers and existing users to accommodate one another.” (more…)

New Computer Programme Promises To Save The Whales

By Guest PostOctober 13, 2011Environment, Natureatlantic ocean, beluga, biological diversity, blue whale, clement chion, complex systems laboratory, computer programme, ecological and economic tradeoffs, environmental conditions, fin whale, humpback, lael parrott, les escoumins, marine mammal, minke whale, model, quebec, saguenay fjord, saint lawrence estuary, st lawrence estuary, tadoussac, university of montreal, whale watching

Researchers at the University of Montreal have developed a computer programme that enables regulators to evaluate the ecological and economic tradeoffs between marine mammal conservation, whale watching and marine transportation activities in the Saint Lawrence Estuary.

“The objective is to reduce the collision risk with whales while taking into account the impact on industry and marine transportation,” said Lael Parrott, who headed the research team. The model, developed in her Complex Systems Laboratory, maps the estuary where the field research was undertaken, simulates the comings and goings of five mammal species (minke whale, fin whale, beluga, humpback and blue whale), the presence and movements of three types of boats (recreation, excursion and cargo), and environmental conditions. Nine scenarios were elaborated in order to observe the effects of various decisions. (more…)

Tag Archives: marine mammal

Dolphins Assist Scientists Studying Effects of Data-logging Tags

Seeing in the Dark

‘House Hunters Walrus’

Wind Energy

New Computer Programme Promises To Save The Whales