Orca (Orcinus orca) in Haines, Alaska, United States. Photo credit: Christopher Michel Scientists have proposed several hypotheses, including fight or flight (Ford & Reeves, 2008), for how killer whale (Orcinus orca) predation has influenced baleen whales and broader ecosystems. Southern right whales have a robust body shape, with girth sometimes [...]
Biofouling, the growth of marine organisms on in-water surfaces, is a perpetual and significant concern for all vessels. Hull biofouling can slow vessel speed, requiring the vessel to consume more fuel, resulting in an increased emission of greenhouse gasses. In addition to increasing drag on a vessel, biofouling by marine organisms within pipes can [...]
A network of fiber-optic telecommunication cables spans 1.2 million km of the seafloor, covering both deep ocean and coastal areas around the globe. The cables are used to transmit phone calls, internet signals, and other data. Using a method called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), researchers are now working to repurpose these globally available telecommunication cables [...]
Global climate change is impacting the world’s coral reef ecosystems. Rapid ocean warming, and associated coral bleaching events, as well as increasing potential for impacts from tropical cyclones are causing significant damage to coral reefs. To better understand and mitigate these impacts, much work is being conducted in coral reef research, management, and conservation. [...]
On June 8, 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary announced the successful use of an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV, or drone), to deploy digital acoustic tags on 14 sei whales in the Northeast Atlantic. This marked a major innovation [...]
Iceberg calving is a natural process, occurring when a rift opens in the edge of a glacier, caused by wind or water erosion, melting ice, or other events, resulting in an iceberg breaking away and falling into the ocean. The rate at which icebergs calve from glaciers increases with increased air and water temperatures. Polar [...]
Illustration of a seismic survey with two ships, one with the sound source and the other with an array of hydrophones. Image Credit: DOSITS. At the bottom of the ocean, there are layers of sediments that contain information about the Earth’s history and below the sediment are layers of the ocean crust. Seismic [...]
Background One of the ocean’s response to global climate change is a rise in average water temperature. Where in the ocean the warming occurs and the rate at which it occurs are of great interest to climatologists. Measuring ocean temperature to monitor and understand changes due to climate change presents some challenges because: • The [...]
Updated October 16, 2020 Introduction The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a major impact on society around the globe. Shelter-in-place orders and non-essential travel bans have had significant effects at all levels, from local to national economies. There have been unexpected, wide-ranging, trickle-down effects from these changes, including shifts in local and regional underwater [...]
Decadal Decreases in the Frequency (Pitch) of Baleen Whale Vocalizations Blue whales are the largest living mammal species. Their long, slender bodies can reach lengths of 30.5 m (100 ft) and weigh up to 160 tons. Blue whales produce stereotyped calls, described as pulses, grunts, groans, and moans, which are typically in the 15-40 [...]
