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deep prey fields
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2015
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Hugh R. Sharp
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Project Title: |
Linking deep-water prey fields with odontocete population structure and behavior |
Project Status: |
Submitted |
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Principal Investigator: |
Kelly Benoit-Bird, OSU_COAS |
Project Institution: |
UDEL_CEOE |
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Project ID: |
104408 |
Version #: |
2 |
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Date Submitted: |
6/4/2014 12:53:00 PM |
Created By: |
Mark A. Moline |
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Date Last Modified: |
10/2/2014 12:50:00 PM |
URI Serial #: |
None |
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Funding Agencies: |
NAVY/ONR/OAS - NONE - Funded |
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Summary of Field Work: |
Beaked whales, specifically Blainville's (Mesoplodon densirostris) and Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris), are known to feed in the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO), Bahamas. These species appear to be particularly sensitive to mid-frequency sonar based on observations and experimental investigation, and a number of mass strandings have occurred coincident with naval exercises. This has spurred considerable, primarily DOD-funded efforts to describe the biology and behavior of these previously intransigent species, with particular effort in TOTO. As a result, we now know that beaked whales use echolocation to forage primarily on squid at depths of 1000 m or more. This foraging strategy presents major challenges for describing beaked whale ecology and the potential energetic effects of disturbance as 1) the rapid speed and relatively large size of these prey make traditional sampling tools ineffective and 2) beaked whale foraging depths are outside the effective (~600m) range of conventional ship-based acoustic measurements for assessing squid behavior and distribution.
Beaked whales in TOTO are often localized within the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) acoustic sensor system. This network of sensors has provided valuable data on habitat use and acoustic behavior of beaked whales. A complimentary long-term series of tagging, visual surveys, and genetic, fecal, photo-identification, and other sampling has provided detailed insights into the population biology and habitat use by these animals both within the AUTEC range and other regions of the Bahamas. These studies have shown consistent habitat preferences with prey a likely driver of these spatial patterns.
However, while previous efforts in this area have assessed the integrated biomass of prey, this work was limited only to depths shallower than the active foraging depths of beaked whales. Our recent efforts coupling deep and shallow water sampling of squid in a Navy range in California have shown that integrated prey biomass using conventional approaches focusing only on the upper water column may be misleading in terms of the quantity and accessibility of beaked whale resources as shallow water prey is not indicative of the prey biomass at depth. We propose to leverage new deep-water technology funded by DOD to describe prey fields and link these descriptions with existing odontocete population structure and behavior data, providing a critical, mechanistic link for understanding beaked whale ecology. |
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Summary of Facility Requirements: |
Regional Class vessel (R/V Hugh Sharp preferred because of its acoustic baseline). Cruise will require knuckle crane capable of deploying the AUV (REMUS 600), deploy trawl net, and fix acoustic instruments in hull well. |
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Summary of other requirements and comments: |
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Type of Request: |
Primary Ship Use |
Request Status: |
Submitted |
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Request ID: |
1007036 |
Created By: |
Mark A. Moline |
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Date Last Modified: |
6/4/2014 1:54:00 PM |
Date Submitted: |
6/4/2014 12:53:00 PM |
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Year: |
2015
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Ship/Facility: |
Hugh R. Sharp
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Optimum Start Date:
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6/27/2015 |
Dates to Avoid: |
Because of seasonality in target species, mid-July is the latest in order to address our scientific goals. |
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Earliest Start Date: |
5/15/2015 |
Multi-Ship Op: |
No |
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Latest Start Date: |
6/27/2015 |
Other Ship(s): |
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Operating Days Needed: |
Science Days |
Mob Days |
De-Mob Days |
Estimated Transit Days |
Total Days |
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14 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
22 |
Repeating Cruise?
(within same year) |
No |
Interval: |
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# of Cruises: |
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Description of Repeating cruise requirements: |
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Justification/Explanation for ship choice, dates,
conflicts, number of days & multi-ship operations: |
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Short Description of Op Area
for use in schedules: |
TOTO Bahamas |
| Description of Op Area: |
The operations area would be in and around the AUTEC range in The Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas and off of southern Great Abaco Island |
| Op Area Size/Dia.: |
1000 sq. nm |
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Lat/Long |
Marsden Grid |
Navy Op Area |
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Beginning
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38.783333° N
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75.15° W
map
38° 46.99998' N
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75° 9' W
map
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Ending
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38.783333° N
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75.15° W
map
38° 46.99998' N
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75° 9' W
map
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Show Degrees Minutes |
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Foreign Clearance Required? |
Yes |
Coastal States:
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 Important Info on Foreign Research Clearances
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Are you or any member in your science party bringing in any science equipment items which are regulated for export by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)?
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No |
If yes, have you applied for the necessary permits through your export control office?
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No |
| Questions about ITAR/EAR regulations?
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Comments about foreign clearance requirements or
description of any other special permitting requirements
(e.g., MMPA, ESA, IHA, Marine Sanctuaries, etc.) |
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Requested Start Port |
Intermediate Port(s) |
Requested End Port |
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Lewes, DE, USA |
Nassau, Bahama Islands |
Lewes, DE, USA |
Explanation/justification for requested
ports and dates of intermediate stops
or to list additional port stops |
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Important Info on Working in Foreign Ports
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Chief Scientist: |
Mark A. Moline, UDEL_CEOE |
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# in Science Party |
8 |
# of different science teams |
1 |
# Marine Technicians to be
provided by ship operator:
(include in science party total)
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1 |
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Explanation of Science Party Requirements and Technician Requirements |
Three internal groups in the science party will consist of AUV operators, acousticians, and animal tagging. |
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 Dynamic Positioning | ADCP | Multibeam | Seismic |
| Dredging/Coring/Large Dia. Trawl Wire | Stern A-frame | Fiber Optic (.681) | 0.680 Coax Wire |
| SCUBA Diving | Radioisotope use - briefly describe | NO Radioisotope use/Natural level work | Other Operator Provided Inst. - Describe |
| 0 PI-Provided Vans - briefly describe | MOCNESS | | |
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Explain Instrumentation or Capability
requirements that could affect choice
of ship in scheduling. |
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Explain Major Ancillary Facilities
Requirements and list description
and provider for "other" systems. |
PI provided acoustics instrumentation in the hull well. |
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