GPS and Marine Wildlife Lincoln Gunn April 16, 2007 Freshman Seminar 142 Research Presentation

Background Information Used by: Biologists, Naturalists, Conversationalists, Zoologists, Ecologists, and Marine Biologists. Helps to understand and protect endangered species all over the world. Really picked up in the mid-1990’s but there were tests run in the mid-1980’s.

GPS Use With Marine Animals Researchers use tags or transmitters that are attached to the animals to get data. Signal from animal goes to NOAA weather satellite which then sends information back down to earth when it crosses over a ground satellite. NOAA and NASA are major contributors to this research. Once data is back on ground it is sent to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where it is analyzed and sent out to wildlife researchers.

Transmitters The transmitters are small GPS devices attached normally to the fin or above the head of an animal. When the animal is surfacing the information is sent to the NOAA satellite and goes into special section of the satellite called the ARGOS Data Collection System. It sends this data is collected at one of three telemetry ground stations in Alaska, Virginia, or France. Different kind of transmitters for different animals.

NOAA and NASA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Backbone to data and research. NASA owns space. NOAA has sanctuaries all over North America for oceanic research. Control GPS and Marine Wildlife data through their satellites. Send out data to all sorts of groups and organizations.

Does It Hurt The Animals? There are different methods and transmitters for every animal. Each of them is specified and designed for that animal. Generally it does not hurt the animal or cause any inconvenience or uncomfortable ness to animal. Main concern regarding protestors to animal rights is that it harms but there have been no cases that it has caused damage to an animal.

Concentration of Research West Indian Manatees Pilot Whales Northern Right Whales Sea Turtles Seals

West Indian Manatee Ranges from Northwestern Atlantic all the way to southeastern USA to Brazil. Biggest place for tracking them is in Belize, located in Caribbean Sea. Scientists tracking them to understand how they live and find out what they do. Results increased their understanding of manatee behavior and assisted wildlife managers in Belize to protecting them. Manatee’s are unique because they are the only plant-eating marine animal alive today and researchers want to keep them around as long as possible.

Pilot Whales First real marine animal to have radio transmitter attached to it with good results in, 1987 off Eastern Coast. Tag the whale had proved that after months of tracking, whales could be released back at sea after beaching. Since the GPS receiver can only receive signals when a whale comes for air, scientists could also calculate amount of diving time each whale normally did and there migration patterns. This experiment gave good data that brought about new interests in the subject. One big problem found out was battery life.

Northern Right Whale Only roughly 350 exist today. Groups around the USA are working as we speak to help preserve this mammal. They spend a great deal of time at the ocean’s depths, so this makes them hard to find and track. Use GPS data to identify behavior patterns of mothers during calving season. Also to see where non-pregnant females and males go during winter. The data received helps scientists identify habitat use off Southeastern US coast. Tagging these whales takes a special technique, because they are never found on the beach like a lot of other whales. The insight received gives valuable insight to whale health, genetics, and migration behavior.

How to Tag Whales Airplane Research Boat Small Raft Cross-Bow Data

Sea Turtles Many different organizations throughout the USA tracking sea turtle movement as well as in Japan. Information collected provides incites on migratory behavior, which will help both conversationalists and natural resource managers to improve protection efforts for this endangered species. Three different attachments for transmitters, depending on the turtle. Majorie Perdita Leatherbacks Their transmitter is the PTT (platform terminal transmitter) which is special for sea turtles.

New England Aquarium Huge part in USA conservation and protection of endangered marine species using GPS. They use GPS to help them come up with GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Use tagging to see how animals are doing after treatment and sent back into wild and see the overall fitness after release and adaptation to environment again. GIS is used by New England Aquarium researchers to help marine animals.

What is GIS? GIS allows researchers to analyze data geographically through GPS, to study impacts of human activities on populations, better understand species distributions, analyze movements, and search for environmental predicators to support conservation actions. GIS technology allows them to map the satellite data, analyze the locations of these animals relative to bathymetry, find what the sea surface temperature is, and find chlorophyll-a concentrations. With receiving this data scientists can make conclusions on habitat use patterns as well as help with conflicts between animals and fishing gears and shipping lanes.

Seals Since seals tend to dive so deep and can stay underwater for long periods of time, they need a more comparable tag with more sensing capabilities that an be deployed at longer durations. They have opened up the market for new tags that can do more than just track the animal. Most seals are found on the beach either injured or in need of care, so this is when they are tagged.

New Technology The MAMMARK TAG measuring 2.5x4 cm is what researchers are now using on seal’s. Placed on top of head. This tag consists of temperature, depth, speed, salinity, three axes of magnetic field, and 3 axes of acceleration and GPS. The three-axis magnetometer and three-axis accelerometer are used to construct the animals 3D orientation. Integrating this with GPS, and water speed, you can get a full underwater trajectory of the seal, using error correction from return surface position and depth measurement to improve accuracy and estimate ocean currents.

Why is this Important? Learn more about animals biology. The threats they face everyday and why they are dying. To help protect and preserve these animals during times of migration and rest. Now adoption programs around the US to help with saving these animals.

What GPS Does Gets information on habitat use and behavior. Migration Patterns Dive behavior Temperature of water Range of animals location Better understand why the animal does what it does. Helps detect predators and helps with ways to stop them. Gives an overall understanding of what the animal does everyday and wants to do.