Last week, two Knauss fellows traveled to the sunshine of Tamba Bay to gather with experts from around the world for the
19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. The theme of this event was to share findings on the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine mammals and their habitats. Participants learned about everything from how sea lions feed in the Antarctic, how dolphins process directional sound, and how whales with smaller reproductive organs attract their mates (let's just say they must share some evolutionary threads with our greatest vocalists!). Underlying the countless presentations and posters summarizing the results of hundreds of projects from around the world, there was a sense of passion and an urgent desire for conservation. The closing plenary by
Dan Costa reminded us that advanced technology and enhanced collaboration have truly refined our abilities to learn more about where and how these majestic creatures live and the threats we pose to their continued existence.
In terms of technology, the sky is the limit if you want to record hours of diving behavior to learn about what deep-diving elephant seals do hundreds of meters beneath the surface. In one talk, the audience took a trip down into the depths through computer simulations that not only showed the animal's path but also depicted when their bodies tilt and lurch forward or even open their mouths to catch fish. Many of these seals have been outfitted with
critter cams so that we can actually experience what the animal sees as it swims farther and farther down to fill its belly. Researchers have learned about these types of foraging strategies from pole to pole, where we can see how truly unique these life history patterns are within and between species, where sometimes females or juvenile animals have completely different feeding and swimming behavior compared to adult males and or a neighboring species.
This expansion of technology of course hasn't only been for
tagging seals and whales. Technological advances have also changed the way we do science because it allows for easier data collection and dissemination. Research can now be shared between Russians and the U.S. in the Northwest and Alaska and
monk seal aficionados can now easily communicate about recent events in the Mediterranean and Hawaii. This type of unprecedented collaboration and group effort may require more patience and time, but certainly allows for a much broader perspective. On a practical level, enhanced technology and powerful computing have also allowed us to analyze larger datasets with advanced statistical analyses that academics could only have dreamed of a few decades ago. Again, while the subject matter remains the same, our ability to see subtle yet meaningful patterns is continuing to evolve through time. Who knows what the next several decades will bring to marine and animal science!
Last week, two Knauss fellows traveled to the sunshine of Tamba Bay to gather with experts from around the world for the 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. The theme of this event was to share findings on the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine mammals and their habitats. Participants learned about everything from how sea lions feed in the Antarctic, how dolphins process directional sound, and how whales with smaller reproductive organs attract their mates (let's just say they must share some evolutionary threads with our greatest vocalists!). Underlying the countless presentations and posters summarizing the results of hundreds of projects from around the world, there was a sense of passion and an urgent desire for conservation. The closing plenary by Dan Costa reminded us that advanced technology and enhanced collaboration have truly refined our abilities to learn more about where and how these majestic creatures live and the threats we pose to their continued existence.
In terms of technology, the sky is the limit if you want to record hours of diving behavior to learn about what deep-diving elephant seals do hundreds of meters beneath the surface. In one talk, the audience took a trip down into the depths through computer simulations that not only showed the animal's path but also depicted when their bodies tilt and lurch forward or even open their mouths to catch fish. Many of these seals have been outfitted with critter cams so that we can actually experience what the animal sees as it swims farther and farther down to fill its belly. Researchers have learned about these types of foraging strategies from pole to pole, where we can see how truly unique these life history patterns are within and between species, where sometimes females or juvenile animals have completely different feeding and swimming behavior compared to adult males and or a neighboring species.
This expansion of technology of course hasn't only been for tagging seals and whales. Technological advances have also changed the way we do science because it allows for easier data collection and dissemination. Research can now be shared between Russians and the U.S. in the Northwest and Alaska and monk seal aficionados can now easily communicate about recent events in the Mediterranean and Hawaii. This type of unprecedented collaboration and group effort may require more patience and time, but certainly allows for a much broader perspective. On a practical level, enhanced technology and powerful computing have also allowed us to analyze larger datasets with advanced statistical analyses that academics could only have dreamed of a few decades ago. Again, while the subject matter remains the same, our ability to see subtle yet meaningful patterns is continuing to evolve through time. Who knows what the next several decades will bring to marine and animal science!
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