Linking local oceanographic conditions with cetacean occurrence near the South Shetland Islands from 2014 to 2016 using satellite imagery and passive acoustic monitoring

Cetaceans are a group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Cetacean studies are particularly challenging in the Southern Ocean because conditions largely limit visual surveys to the austral summer. Passive acoustic monitoring has improved knowledge of cetacean distribution by allowing autonomous, year-round data collection. By comparing cetacean acoustic presence with concurrent oceanographic conditions, this project aims to better predict how cetaceans in the Southern Ocean are impacted by varying environmental conditions and the results can potentially inform conservation/management efforts and future research needs. This project aims to examine how oceanographic variables may influence cetacean distributions and habitat preferences around the South Shetland Islands. The project utilizes previously collected passive acoustic data that have already been analyzed for an array of cetacean species, including blue whales, fin whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, killer whales, and beaked whales from three locations over a three-year period (2014–2016). Satellite imagery will be used to identify relevant oceanographic variables (e.g. sea ice concentration, sea surface temperature), and statistical models will be developed to understand potential drivers of cetacean presence. This will inform potential habitat preferences and establish a foundation for predictive distribution modeling. There is a need for cetacean research to go beyond basic species observations towards an understanding of their ecology and how environmental variability will impact their future patterns of distribution. The project will also integrate research with educational activities via a state-wide collaborative project that partners teachers and researchers in data analysis and visualization experiences. It will ultimately provide K-12 science teachers with classroom activities on marine mammals in the Antarctic ecosystem. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.