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| Dall's porpoises frolic beneath our bow. |
Ahoy!
Welcome to the second edition of the Beam Reach newsletter, "Shipmate Update," published November 21, 2006.
Way-point: Feats of the fall 2006 program
Marvelous precedents were set during the fall 2006 program (Aug21-Oct28).
First, our charter research vessel Gato
Verde demonstrated that its revolutionary biodiesel electric propulsion
system reduces noise, both in air and underwater. Though the system didn't
consistently propel the boat at 6 knots as anticipated, it offered great
benefits over last year's inboard engines: it facilitated teaching in the
cockpit by dramatically reducing in-air noise and it enabled unprecedented
scientific accomplishments because we could listen underwater while we moved
silently with the orcas. Special thanks to Captains Todd, Mike, and Glenn for
pioneering the system and keeping it functional! Bravo as well to Island
Petroleum Services for providing biodiesel at a convenient pump this year.
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| Jason and Captain Todd with Class 061 |
Building and successfully utilizing the towed array was also unprecedented.
Prior to Peggy Foreman's and Emily Pierson's triumph, boat-based localization
had never before been used to study southern resident killer whale
communication. The technology is a powerful tool for future Beam Reach
students interested in underwater behavioral biology, for it allows specific
calls to be associated spatially with particular surface behaviors and
individuals. Thanks to Val Veirs and Lon Brocklehurst for working so hard to
give Beam Reach this insightful tool, and to Tom Norris and Dave Mellinger for
helping us learn to use it well.
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| 2007 instructors Jason and Donna |
A third precedent is that the curriculum was implemented by two new
instructors: Dr. Jason Wood, a specialist in elephant acoustics and Donna
Hauser, who recently completed a Masters focused on southern resident orca
distributions. Their fruitful collaboration, supported by the 2005 instructors
(Scott and Val Veirs) demonstrates that future programs can be taught
successfully by teams of new and experienced teachers, thereby broadening the
expertise available to Beam Reach students. Accolades to Jason and Donna!
Finally, the fall 2006 class implemented an impressive suite of service
projects. In collaboration with the Whale
Museum, students volunteered with Sound Watch or wrote orca-biographical
news-clips for the Orca Adoption project. Students and staff helped the San
Juan County Beach-watchers tag creosote logs on beaches we visited and assisted
the Friends of the San Juans
investigations of eel grass decline and beach pollution.
Don't miss the blogs, photos, videos, and final papers/presentations of the
all-female class (Rena, Colleen, Juliette, Erin, Peggy, and Emily) at: http://beamreach.org/061/ Also, the final
presentation event was covered in a San Juan Journal
article by James Krall.
Progress in acoustic monitoring of noise, orcas, and fish
Beam Reach continues to specialize in the non-invasive research techniques of
marine bioacoustics. During the spring and fall 2007 programs, we will combine
increased computing power, Internet streaming technology, and acoustic "tags"
for fish to give our students amazing new insights into ocean ecosystems that
are otherwise difficult to visualize. Here are two ways we plan to listen
more carefully to the ocean in 2007:
- $25k grant from NOAA expands hydrophone network In partnership
with the Whale Museum and the Center for Whale Research, Beam Reach is helping
expand a network of hydrophones in the Pacific Northwest. This year we have
supplemented the hydrophones in the home range of the orcas with two listening
stations in their winter habitat: one at the Port Townsend Marine Science
Center and one at the Seattle Aquarium. You can listen to underwater sound "live" at
http://orcasound.net and will soon be able to access sound archives there,
as well. Beam Reach uses data from these stations to assess anthropogenic
noise levels, as well as detect the presence of sonic animals, like orcas.
- Acoustic fish tags may help endangered salmon (and orcas?) A new
acoustic technology could enable Beam Reach students to track the movement of
individual fish. Acoustic "tags" are now small enough that they can be safely
implanted in the abdomen of a salmon or bottom fish. They send out unique
signals which are picked up by receivers placed on the ocean floor. We are
collaborating with researchers involved in Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) to supplement our passive listening
capabilities in 2007.
All hands on deck: Recommend us to a fisheries student
Since it appears that four southern resident orcas may have starved to death in
2006, we have decided to broaden our research theme for 2007 to explicitly
include the fish that orcas eat. Please help us spread the word to prospective
students interested in salmon or bottom-fish, as well as killer whales. Forward
this update to them and encourage them to apply for spring '07, fall '07,
or spring '08 to study the predator-prey interactions of these iconic and
increasingly rare species.
Another way you can help as 2006 comes to a close is to make a charitable
donation to our scholarship fund. Thanks to the continued support of the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, we have
been able to provide financial assistance to all who requested it. To maintain
that ability in 2007 -- when we plan to quadruple annual enrollment and begin
accepting international students -- we need to expand our scholarship fund
substantially. If you are inspired and able to give, please contact
scott@beamreach.org or donate
directly.
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Past editions can be had at Shipmate Update archives.
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