{"dp_type": "Dataset", "free_text": "Diving"}
[{"awards": "1644256 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-73.106701 -52.962091,-69.1243089 -52.962091,-65.1419168 -52.962091,-61.159524700000006 -52.962091,-57.1771326 -52.962091,-53.1947405 -52.962091,-49.2123484 -52.962091,-45.2299563 -52.962091,-41.2475642 -52.962091,-37.2651721 -52.962091,-33.28278 -52.962091,-33.28278 -54.530129,-33.28278 -56.098167000000004,-33.28278 -57.666205000000005,-33.28278 -59.234243,-33.28278 -60.802281,-33.28278 -62.370319,-33.28278 -63.938357,-33.28278 -65.506395,-33.28278 -67.074433,-33.28278 -68.642471,-37.2651721 -68.642471,-41.2475642 -68.642471,-45.2299563 -68.642471,-49.2123484 -68.642471,-53.1947405 -68.642471,-57.1771326 -68.642471,-61.159524700000006 -68.642471,-65.1419168 -68.642471,-69.1243089 -68.642471,-73.106701 -68.642471,-73.106701 -67.074433,-73.106701 -65.506395,-73.106701 -63.938356999999996,-73.106701 -62.370319,-73.106701 -60.802281,-73.106701 -59.234243,-73.106701 -57.666205,-73.106701 -56.098167000000004,-73.106701 -54.530129,-73.106701 -52.962091))"], "date_created": "Thu, 11 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The data provided here are the processed dive records obtained via Argos from the MK-10 Wildlife Computers tags. This includes the processed movement data, the diving behavior in terms of time and depth and the metadata for each seal", "east": -33.28278, "geometry": ["POINT(-53.1947405 -60.802281)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Body Mass; Diving Behavior; Leopard Seal; Seals", "locations": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -52.962091, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Costa, Daniel", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0010419", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.642471, "title": "Leopard Seal Diving behavior data", "uid": "601690", "west": -73.106701}, {"awards": "1644256 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-73.106701 -52.962091,-69.1243089 -52.962091,-65.1419168 -52.962091,-61.159524700000006 -52.962091,-57.1771326 -52.962091,-53.1947405 -52.962091,-49.2123484 -52.962091,-45.2299563 -52.962091,-41.2475642 -52.962091,-37.2651721 -52.962091,-33.28278 -52.962091,-33.28278 -54.530129,-33.28278 -56.098167000000004,-33.28278 -57.666205000000005,-33.28278 -59.234243,-33.28278 -60.802281,-33.28278 -62.370319,-33.28278 -63.938357,-33.28278 -65.506395,-33.28278 -67.074433,-33.28278 -68.642471,-37.2651721 -68.642471,-41.2475642 -68.642471,-45.2299563 -68.642471,-49.2123484 -68.642471,-53.1947405 -68.642471,-57.1771326 -68.642471,-61.159524700000006 -68.642471,-65.1419168 -68.642471,-69.1243089 -68.642471,-73.106701 -68.642471,-73.106701 -67.074433,-73.106701 -65.506395,-73.106701 -63.938356999999996,-73.106701 -62.370319,-73.106701 -60.802281,-73.106701 -59.234243,-73.106701 -57.666205,-73.106701 -56.098167000000004,-73.106701 -54.530129,-73.106701 -52.962091))"], "date_created": "Thu, 11 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The data provided here are the processed dive records obtained via Argos from the MK-10 Wildlife Computers tags. This includes the processed movement data, the diving behavior in terms of time and depth and the metadata for each seal", "east": -33.28278, "geometry": ["POINT(-53.1947405 -60.802281)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Body Mass; Diving Behavior; Leopard Seal; Movement Data; Seals", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Antarctica", "north": -52.962091, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Costa, Daniel", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0010419", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.642471, "title": "Leopard Seal movement data", "uid": "601689", "west": -73.106701}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.6 -75,163.2 -75,163.8 -75,164.4 -75,165 -75,165.6 -75,166.2 -75,166.8 -75,167.4 -75,168 -75,168 -75.4,168 -75.8,168 -76.2,168 -76.6,168 -77,168 -77.4,168 -77.8,168 -78.2,168 -78.6,168 -79,167.4 -79,166.8 -79,166.2 -79,165.6 -79,165 -79,164.4 -79,163.8 -79,163.2 -79,162.6 -79,162 -79,162 -78.6,162 -78.2,162 -77.8,162 -77.4,162 -77,162 -76.6,162 -76.2,162 -75.8,162 -75.4,162 -75))"], "date_created": "Tue, 05 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The profound impacts that maternal provisioning of finite energy resources has on offspring survival have been extensively studied across mammals. However, in addition to calories, we tested whether high hemoprotein concentrations in diving mammals necessitates exceptional female-to-pup iron transfer. To answer this question adult female Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were handled across the austral summer. This included post-partum females during lactation and post-weaning. To demonstrate that any observed changes in iron dynamics were due to lactation, equivalent skip-breeding females (i.e., that did not produce a pup) were also handled. We measured numerous indices of iron mobilization (ferritin, serum iron, total-iron-binding-capacity, transferrin saturation, milk iron concentration), hemoprotein concentrations, and oxygen stores.", "east": 168.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "keywords": "Aerobic; Antarctica; Dive Capacity; Iron; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "locations": "McMurdo Sound; Antarctica", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Shero, Michelle", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Physiological and Genetic Correlates of Reproductive Success in High- versus Low-Quality Weddell seals; The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0010369", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Physiological and Genetic Correlates of Reproductive Success in High- versus Low-Quality Weddell seals"}, {"proj_uid": "p0000229", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -79.0, "title": "Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation", "uid": "601587", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "date_created": "Mon, 09 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This dataset includes dive records from Weddell seals located in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica from the austral summers of 1978, 1979, and 1981 using Kooyman-Billups Time Depth Recorders. The data were recovered from photocopied paper scrolls using a code package (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14025657). This recovery process involved record scanning, image processing, and bias correction such that the historic data are directly comparable with dive data from modern instruments. This dataset contains the scanned images of the paper dive records (KBTDR_record_scans) and comma-separated value files of the dive data after recovery (KBTDR_data). Only records from McMurdo Sound were recovered, but record scans from Terra Nova Bay and White Island are also provided for future long-term studies on diving behavior. ", "east": 165.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Diving Behavior; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Tsai, EmmaLi", "project_titles": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000229", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "1970s - 1980s Kooyman-Billups TDR Dive Records from Weddell Seals in McMurdo Sound", "uid": "601560", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": null, "date_created": "Sat, 24 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "We examined the influence of sea ice break-out on seasonal diving patterns and diet of a top predator, the Weddell seal, to understand how phytoplankton blooms impact the vertical distribution of the food web. We captured female seals during the November and December lactation period and attached a LOTEK LAT1800 time-depth recorder (TDR) flipper tag with a 6 second sampling interval. Data were processed using the Iknos toolbox in MATLAB. Benthic dives (1% of all dives) were excluded from analyses because we were interested in quantifying seasonal changes in mid-water dives. Thus, we analyzed dives from 59 Weddell seals to characterize the diving depth and foraging effort of each seal across the austral summer over four years. We characterized seasonal changes in diving depth by calculating the mean across all seals of the maximum dive depth on each day for each seal. For more information see: Beltran, R. S. Bridging the gap between pupping and molting phenology: behavioral and ecological drivers in Weddell seals PhD thesis, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (2018).", "east": null, "geometry": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean; Ross Sea", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Beltran, Roxanne; Burns, Jennifer", "project_titles": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000229", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Weddell seal summer diving behavior", "uid": "601137", "west": null}, {"awards": "1443554 Buys, Emmanuel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((166.163 -76.665,166.2635 -76.665,166.364 -76.665,166.4645 -76.665,166.565 -76.665,166.6655 -76.665,166.766 -76.665,166.8665 -76.665,166.967 -76.665,167.0675 -76.665,167.168 -76.665,167.168 -76.782,167.168 -76.899,167.168 -77.016,167.168 -77.133,167.168 -77.25,167.168 -77.367,167.168 -77.484,167.168 -77.601,167.168 -77.718,167.168 -77.835,167.0675 -77.835,166.967 -77.835,166.8665 -77.835,166.766 -77.835,166.6655 -77.835,166.565 -77.835,166.4645 -77.835,166.364 -77.835,166.2635 -77.835,166.163 -77.835,166.163 -77.718,166.163 -77.601,166.163 -77.484,166.163 -77.367,166.163 -77.25,166.163 -77.133,166.163 -77.016,166.163 -76.899,166.163 -76.782,166.163 -76.665))"], "date_created": "Sat, 27 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Weddell seal is a champion diving mammal - key elements of their physiological specializations to breath-hold are their ability for remarkable adjustment of their heart and blood vessel system, coordinating blood pressure and flow to specific body regions based on their metabolic requirements, and their ability to sustain periods without oxygen. The goal of this study is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the dive response, specifically, to study a signaling pathway that coordinates local blood flow. This dataset identifies what animals were sampled and the details of what biosamples were collected to test the hypothesis that signaling modifications prevent local blood vessel changes under low oxygen conditions, thereby allowing the centrally mediated diving reflex to override local perfusion control. The metadata also details cryopreserved cells and cell lines that can be used to study the molecular effects of low oxygen conditions in the laboratory", "east": 167.168, "geometry": ["POINT(166.6655 -77.25)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals", "locations": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound; Ross Sea", "north": -76.665, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Hindle, Allyson; Buys, Emmanuel", "project_titles": "Unraveling the Genomic and Molecular Basis of the Dive Response: Nitric Oxide Signaling and Vasoregulation in the Weddell Seal", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000072", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Unraveling the Genomic and Molecular Basis of the Dive Response: Nitric Oxide Signaling and Vasoregulation in the Weddell Seal"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.835, "title": "Biosamples and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in McMurdo Sound during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season", "uid": "601028", "west": 166.163}, {"awards": "1553824 Heine, John", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((163 -78,163.4 -78,163.8 -78,164.2 -78,164.6 -78,165 -78,165.4 -78,165.8 -78,166.2 -78,166.6 -78,167 -78,167 -78.05,167 -78.1,167 -78.15,167 -78.2,167 -78.25,167 -78.3,167 -78.35,167 -78.4,167 -78.45,167 -78.5,166.6 -78.5,166.2 -78.5,165.8 -78.5,165.4 -78.5,165 -78.5,164.6 -78.5,164.2 -78.5,163.8 -78.5,163.4 -78.5,163 -78.5,163 -78.45,163 -78.4,163 -78.35,163 -78.3,163 -78.25,163 -78.2,163 -78.15,163 -78.1,163 -78.05,163 -78))"], "date_created": "Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Overall dataset and specific temperature data for a number of different rebreather models.", "east": 167.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -78.25)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Diving; Global; Physical Oceanography", "locations": "Antarctica; Global", "north": -78.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Heine, John", "project_titles": "Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000377", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.5, "title": "Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program", "uid": "601024", "west": 163.0}, {"awards": "1321782 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))"], "date_created": "Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Identifying the basic habitat requirements of Antarctic predators is fundamental to understanding how they will respond to the human-induced challenges of commercial fisheries and climate change. This understanding can only be achieved if the underlying linkages to physical processes are related to animal movements. As part of the international Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) organized by the SCAR Expert Group of Birds and Marine Mammals, this research will collate and synthesize tracking data from crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophagus, and Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddelli. These data will be combined with all available data from the Southern Ocean that has been collected by researchers from Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and the USA. These data will be analyzed using a common analytical approach and synthesized into a synoptic view of these two species across the Southern Ocean. The diving and movement patterns will be examined for each species. As well, the total home range and core habitat utilization patterns for each species and region will be determined. This study will develop global habitat maps for each species based on physical and biological attributes of their \u0027hot-spots\u0027 and then overlay all the species specific maps to identify multi-species areas of ecological significance. Broader impacts include support and training for a postdoctoral scholar, the production of a publicly available database and the participation in an international data synthesis effort.\n", "east": 180.0, "geometry": ["POINT(0 -89.999)"], "keywords": "Animal Tracking; Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel", "project_titles": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000346", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets", "uid": "600137", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1043454 Kooyman, Gerald", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-172.642 -72.55,-170.9074 -72.55,-169.1728 -72.55,-167.4382 -72.55,-165.7036 -72.55,-163.969 -72.55,-162.2344 -72.55,-160.4998 -72.55,-158.7652 -72.55,-157.0306 -72.55,-155.296 -72.55,-155.296 -73.0743,-155.296 -73.5986,-155.296 -74.1229,-155.296 -74.6472,-155.296 -75.1715,-155.296 -75.6958,-155.296 -76.2201,-155.296 -76.7444,-155.296 -77.2687,-155.296 -77.793,-157.0306 -77.793,-158.7652 -77.793,-160.4998 -77.793,-162.2344 -77.793,-163.969 -77.793,-165.7036 -77.793,-167.4382 -77.793,-169.1728 -77.793,-170.9074 -77.793,-172.642 -77.793,-172.642 -77.2687,-172.642 -76.7444,-172.642 -76.2201,-172.642 -75.6958,-172.642 -75.1715,-172.642 -74.6472,-172.642 -74.1229,-172.642 -73.5986,-172.642 -73.0743,-172.642 -72.55))"], "date_created": "Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The emperor penguin dives deeper and longer, fasts longer, and endures the harshest weather conditions of all diving birds. It spends about four and half months per annum deep in Antarctic pack ice away from shore and stations, and thus is largely unavailable for study. This time includes preparation for the molt, and travel to the colony to breed, a time period in which great swings in body weight occur. This study will fill an important gap in what we know about the biology of the annual cycle of the emperor by examining the molt-post molt period. The P.I. proposes to traverse the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas on the Oden, to locate and tag emperor penguins during the molt season. The objectives are to (1) Place satellite tags on 20 adult post molt birds to determine their route, rate of travel, and diving behavior as they return back to their breeding colonies, (2) Obtain an index of body condition, (3) Collect guano to determine the type of food consumed by emperor penguins in the region, (4) Conduct shipboard surveys to sight and plot the location and abundance of adult and juvenile birds on the ship\u0027s track. The PI hypothesizes that bird dives will be shallow during the initial post-molt phase, and that food will consist primarily of krill; that there will be differential dispersal of birds from the Ross Sea vs. Marie Byrd Land, with Ross Sea birds traveling farther; and that the greatest adult mortality occurs during the molt and early post molt period. Broader impacts include training of a post doc, a graduate student, and an aquarium volunteer. The P.I. also will present findings through a website, through public lectures, and in collaboration with the Birch aquarium.\n", "east": -155.296, "geometry": ["POINT(-163.969 -75.1715)"], "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Biota; Oceans; Penguin; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Amundsen Sea; Southern Ocean", "north": -72.55, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Kooyman, Gerald", "project_titles": "Pre and post molt biology of emperor penguins - Oden trans - Ross / Amundsen Sea cruise", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000325", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Pre and post molt biology of emperor penguins - Oden trans - Ross / Amundsen Sea cruise"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.793, "title": "Pre and Post Molt Biology of Emperor Penguins - Oden Trans - Ross / Amundsen Sea Cruise", "uid": "600149", "west": -172.642}, {"awards": "0838937 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.7 -75,163.4 -75,164.1 -75,164.8 -75,165.5 -75,166.2 -75,166.9 -75,167.6 -75,168.3 -75,169 -75,169 -75.3,169 -75.6,169 -75.9,169 -76.2,169 -76.5,169 -76.8,169 -77.1,169 -77.4,169 -77.7,169 -78,168.3 -78,167.6 -78,166.9 -78,166.2 -78,165.5 -78,164.8 -78,164.1 -78,163.4 -78,162.7 -78,162 -78,162 -77.7,162 -77.4,162 -77.1,162 -76.8,162 -76.5,162 -76.2,162 -75.9,162 -75.6,162 -75.3,162 -75))"], "date_created": "Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Marine mammals of the Southern Ocean have evolved diverse life history patterns and foraging strategies to accommodate extreme fluctuations in the physical and biological environment. In light of ongoing climate change and the dramatic shifts in the extent and persistence of sea ice in the Ross Sea, it is critical to understand how Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, a key apex predator, select and utilize foraging habitats. Recent advances in satellite-linked animal-borne conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) tags make it possible to simultaneously collect data on seal locations, their diving patterns, and the temperature and salinity profiles of the water columns they utilize. In other ecosystems, such data have revealed that marine predators selectively forage in areas where currents and fronts serve to locally concentrate prey resources, and that these conditions are required to sustain populations. Weddell seals will be studied in McMurdo Sound and at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea and will provide the first new data on Weddell seal winter diving behavior and habitat use in almost two decades. The relationship between an animal\u0027s diving behavior and physical habitat has enormous potential to enhance monitoring studies and to provide insight into how changes in ice conditions (due either to warming or the impact of large icebergs, such as B15) might impact individual time budgets and foraging success. The second thrust of this project is to use the profiles obtained from CTD seal tags to model the physical oceanography of this region. Current mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes in the Southern Ocean are directed at better understanding the role that it plays in global climate processes, and the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. However, these efforts are limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data at high latitudes in the winter months; CTD tags deployed on animals will collect data at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to improve data density. The project will contribute to two IPY endorsed initiatives: MEOP (Marine Mammals as Explorers of the Ocean Pole to Pole) and CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life). In addition, the highly visual nature of the data and analysis lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to global climate change, and we have collaborations with undergraduate and graduate training programs, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the ARMADA program to foster these broader impacts.\n", "east": 169.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165.5 -76.5)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean; Ross Sea", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000661", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "uid": "600025", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "0944220 Ponganis, Paul", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-160 -68,-159 -68,-158 -68,-157 -68,-156 -68,-155 -68,-154 -68,-153 -68,-152 -68,-151 -68,-150 -68,-150 -69,-150 -70,-150 -71,-150 -72,-150 -73,-150 -74,-150 -75,-150 -76,-150 -77,-150 -78,-151 -78,-152 -78,-153 -78,-154 -78,-155 -78,-156 -78,-157 -78,-158 -78,-159 -78,-160 -78,-160 -77,-160 -76,-160 -75,-160 -74,-160 -73,-160 -72,-160 -71,-160 -70,-160 -69,-160 -68))"], "date_created": "Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are iconic, top predators in Antarctica. Understanding their physiological ecology is essential to the assessment of their adaptability to the threats of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. The proposed research has multipronged objectives. Prior results suggest that Emperor penguins have flexible (vs. static) aerobic dive limits (ADL) that vary with the type of dive, and that the role of heart rate in utilization of oxygen stores also varies with dive type. A series of physiological measurements are proposed with backpack electrocardiogram recorders, that will allow further delineation of patterns and interrelationships among heart rate, dive behavior, and oxygen stores. Importantly, the research will be done on free diving emperors, and not individuals confined to a dive hole, thereby providing a more genuine measure of diving physiology and behavior. A separate objective is to examine foraging behavior of leopard seals, using a backpack digital camera and time depth recorder. Leopard seal behavior and prey intake is poorly quantified, but known to be significant. Accordingly the research is somewhat exploratory but will provide important baseline data. Finally, the P.I. proposes to continue long term overflight censuses of Emperor penguin colonies in the Ross Sea. Broader impacts include collaboration with National Geographic television, graduate student training, and development of sedation techniques for leopard seals.\n", "east": -150.0, "geometry": ["POINT(-155 -73)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Electrocardiogram; Penguin; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": -68.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Ponganis, Paul", "project_titles": "The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000349", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals", "uid": "600113", "west": -160.0}, {"awards": "0838892 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.7 -75,163.4 -75,164.1 -75,164.8 -75,165.5 -75,166.2 -75,166.9 -75,167.6 -75,168.3 -75,169 -75,169 -75.3,169 -75.6,169 -75.9,169 -76.2,169 -76.5,169 -76.8,169 -77.1,169 -77.4,169 -77.7,169 -78,168.3 -78,167.6 -78,166.9 -78,166.2 -78,165.5 -78,164.8 -78,164.1 -78,163.4 -78,162.7 -78,162 -78,162 -77.7,162 -77.4,162 -77.1,162 -76.8,162 -76.5,162 -76.2,162 -75.9,162 -75.6,162 -75.3,162 -75))"], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Marine mammals of the Southern Ocean have evolved diverse life history patterns and foraging strategies to accommodate extreme fluctuations in the physical and biological environment. In light of ongoing climate change and the dramatic shifts in the extent and persistence of sea ice in the Ross Sea, it is critical to understand how Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, a key apex predator, select and utilize foraging habitats. Recent advances in satellite-linked animal-borne conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) tags make it possible to simultaneously collect data on seal locations, their diving patterns, and the temperature and salinity profiles of the water columns they utilize. In other ecosystems, such data have revealed that marine predators selectively forage in areas where currents and fronts serve to locally concentrate prey resources, and that these conditions are required to sustain populations. Weddell seals will be studied in McMurdo Sound and at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea and will provide the first new data on Weddell seal winter diving behavior and habitat use in almost two decades. The relationship between an animal\u0027s diving behavior and physical habitat has enormous potential to enhance monitoring studies and to provide insight into how changes in ice conditions (due either to warming or the impact of large icebergs, such as B15) might impact individual time budgets and foraging success. The second thrust of this project is to use the profiles obtained from CTD seal tags to model the physical oceanography of this region. Current mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes in the Southern Ocean are directed at better understanding the role that it plays in global climate processes, and the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. However, these efforts are limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data at high latitudes in the winter months; CTD tags deployed on animals will collect data at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to improve data density. The project will contribute to two IPY endorsed initiatives: MEOP (Marine Mammals as Explorers of the Ocean Pole to Pole) and CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life). In addition, the highly visual nature of the data and analysis lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to global climate change, and we have collaborations with undergraduate and graduate training programs, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the ARMADA program to foster these broader impacts.", "east": 169.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165.5 -76.5)"], "keywords": "Biota; Oceans; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Burns, Jennifer", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000661", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "uid": "600101", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1019838 Wendt, Dean", "bounds_geometry": null, "date_created": "Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Antarctic Peninsula is among the most rapidly warming regions on earth. Increased heat from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has elevated the temperature of the 300 m of shelf water below the permanent pycnocline by 0.7 degrees C. This trend has displaced the once dominant cold, dry continental Antarctic climate, and is causing multi-level responses in the marine ecosystem. One striking example of the ecosystem response to warming has been the local declines in ice-dependent Ad\u00e9lie penguins. The changes in these apex predators are thought to be driven by alterations in phytoplankton and zooplankton community composition, and the foraging limitations and diet differences between these species. One of the most elusive questions facing researchers interested in the foraging ecology of the Ad\u00e9lie penguin, namely, what are the biophysical properties that characterize the three dimensional foraging space of this top predator? The research will combine the real-time site and diving information from the Ad\u00e9lie penguin satellite tags with the full characterization of the oceanography and the penguins prey field using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). While some of these changes have been documented over large spatial scales of the WAP, it is now thought that the causal mechanisms that favor of one life history strategy over another may actually operate over much smaller scales than previously thought, specifically on the scale of local breeding sites and over-wintering areas. Characterization of prey fields on these local scales has yet to be done and one that the AUV is ideally suited. The results will have a direct tie to the climate induced changes that are occurring in the West Antarctic Peninsula. This study will also highlight a new approach to linking an autonomous platform to bird behavior that could be expanded to include the other two species of penguins and examine the seasonal differences in their foraging behavior and prey selection. From a vehicle perspective, this effort will inform the AUV user community of new sensor suites and/or data processing approaches that are required to better evaluate foraging habitat. The project also will help transition AUV platforms into routine investigative tools for this region, which is chronically under sampled and will remain difficult to access\n", "east": null, "geometry": null, "keywords": "Biota; Oceans; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Wendt, Dean; Moline, Mark", "project_titles": "Real-Time Characterization of Adelie Penguin Foraging Environment Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000662", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Real-Time Characterization of Adelie Penguin Foraging Environment Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Real-Time Characterization of Adelie Penguin Foraging Environment Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle", "uid": "600120", "west": null}, {"awards": "0440687 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-64 -60,-63 -60,-62 -60,-61 -60,-60 -60,-59 -60,-58 -60,-57 -60,-56 -60,-55 -60,-54 -60,-54 -60.4,-54 -60.8,-54 -61.2,-54 -61.6,-54 -62,-54 -62.4,-54 -62.8,-54 -63.2,-54 -63.6,-54 -64,-55 -64,-56 -64,-57 -64,-58 -64,-59 -64,-60 -64,-61 -64,-62 -64,-63 -64,-64 -64,-64 -63.6,-64 -63.2,-64 -62.8,-64 -62.4,-64 -62,-64 -61.6,-64 -61.2,-64 -60.8,-64 -60.4,-64 -60))"], "date_created": "Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "As long-lived animals, marine mammals must be capable of accommodating broad variations in food resources over large spatial and temporal scales. While this is true of all marine mammals, variation in the physical and biological environmental is particularly profound in the Southern Ocean. A basic understanding of the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of pelagic predators requires knowledge of this spatial and temporal variation, coupled with information of how they respond to these changes. Current understanding of these associations is primarily limited to population level studies where animal abundance has been correlated with oceanography. Although these studies are informative, they cannot provide insights into the strategies employed by individual animals nor can they provide insights into the spatial or temporal course of these interactions. Recent technological advances in instrumentation make it possible to extend an understanding beyond the simple linkage of prey and predator distributions with environmental features. The key to understanding the processes that lead to high predator abundance is the identification of the specific foraging behaviors associated with different features of the water column. This study will accomplish these objectives by combining accurate positional data, measures of diving and foraging behavior, animal-derived water-column temperature and salinity data, and available oceanographic data. This project will examine the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of two species of contrasting foraging ecology, the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, and the crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, a region of strong environmental gradients. Although these two species are phylogenetically related, they utilize substantially different but adjacent habitat types. Southern elephant seals are predominantly pelagic, moving throughout the southern ocean, venturing occasionally into the seasonal pack ice whereas crabeater seals range throughout the seasonal pack ice, venturing occasionally into open water. The relationship of specific foraging behaviors and animal movement patterns to oceanographic and bathymetric features develop and test models of the importance of these features in defining habitat use will be determined along with a comparison of how individuals of each species respond to annual variability in the marine environment. The physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean is inherently complex as are the biological processes that are intrinsically linked to oceanographic processes. Significant resources are currently being directed toward developing mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes with the goals of better understanding the role that the Southern Ocean plays in global climate processes, predicting the responses of ocean and global scale processes to climate change, and understanding the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. These efforts have been limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data in the region, especially at high latitudes in the winter months. This study will provide new and significant oceanographic data on temperature and salinity profiles in to further the understanding of the dynamics of the upper water column of west Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf waters. Outreach activities include website development and an association with a marine education program at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.\n", "east": -54.0, "geometry": ["POINT(-59 -62)"], "keywords": "Bellingshausen Sea; Biota; Oceans; Seals; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean; Bellingshausen Sea", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Klinck, John M.; Crocker, Daniel; Goebel, Michael; Hofmann, Eileen; Costa, Daniel", "project_titles": "Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000082", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -64.0, "title": "Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection", "uid": "600044", "west": -64.0}, {"awards": "0649609 Horning, Markus", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((165.975 -77.54,166.0631 -77.54,166.1512 -77.54,166.2393 -77.54,166.3274 -77.54,166.4155 -77.54,166.5036 -77.54,166.5917 -77.54,166.6798 -77.54,166.7679 -77.54,166.856 -77.54,166.856 -77.5709,166.856 -77.6018,166.856 -77.6327,166.856 -77.6636,166.856 -77.6945,166.856 -77.7254,166.856 -77.7563,166.856 -77.7872,166.856 -77.8181,166.856 -77.849,166.7679 -77.849,166.6798 -77.849,166.5917 -77.849,166.5036 -77.849,166.4155 -77.849,166.3274 -77.849,166.2393 -77.849,166.1512 -77.849,166.0631 -77.849,165.975 -77.849,165.975 -77.8181,165.975 -77.7872,165.975 -77.7563,165.975 -77.7254,165.975 -77.6945,165.975 -77.6636,165.975 -77.6327,165.975 -77.6018,165.975 -77.5709,165.975 -77.54))"], "date_created": "Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The primary objectives of this research are to investigate the proximate effects of aging on diving capability in the Weddell Seal and to describe mechanisms by which aging may influence foraging ecology, through physiology and behavior. This model pinniped species has been the focus of three decades of research in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Compared to the knowledge of pinniped diving physiology and ecology during early development and young adulthood, little is known about individuals nearing the upper limit of their normal reproductive age range. Evolutionary aging theories predict that elderly diving seals should exhibit senescence. This should be exacerbated by surges in the generation of oxygen free radicals via hypoxia-reoxygenation during breath-hold diving and hunting, which are implicated in age-related damage to cellular mitochondria. Surprisingly, limited observations of non-threatened pinniped populations indicate that senescence does not occur to a level where reproductive output is affected. The ability of pinnipeds to avoid apparent senescence raises two major questions: what specific physiological and morphological changes occur with advancing age in pinnipeds; and what subtle adjustments are made by these animals to cope with such changes? This investigation will focus on specific, functional physiological and behavioral changes relating to dive capability with advancing age. Data will be compared between Weddell seals in the peak, and near the end, of their reproductive age range. The investigators will quantify age-related changes in general health and body condition, combined with fine scale assessments of external and internal ability to do work in the form of diving. Specifically, patterns of muscle morphology, oxidant status and oxygen storage with age will be examined. The effects of age on skeletal muscular function and exercise performance will also be examined. The investigators hypothesize that senescence does occur in Weddell seals at the level of small-scale, proximate physiological effects and performance, but that behavioral plasticity allows for a given degree of compensation. Broader impacts include the training of students and outreach activities including interviews and articles written for the popular media. This study should also establish diving seals as a novel model for the study of cardiovascular and muscular physiology of aging and develop a foundation for similar research on other species. Advancement of the understanding of aging by medical science has been impressive in recent years but basic mammalian aging is an area of study the still requires considerable effort. The development of new models for the study of aging has tremendous potential benefits to society at large.", "east": 166.856, "geometry": ["POINT(166.4155 -77.6945)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo; Oceans; Seals; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean; McMurdo", "north": -77.54, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Horning, Markus", "project_titles": "Collaborative Research: Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000487", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Collaborative Research: Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.849, "title": "Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment", "uid": "600071", "west": 165.975}, {"awards": "0538594 Ponganis, Paul", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((165.983 -77.683,166.0164 -77.683,166.0498 -77.683,166.0832 -77.683,166.1166 -77.683,166.15 -77.683,166.1834 -77.683,166.2168 -77.683,166.2502 -77.683,166.2836 -77.683,166.317 -77.683,166.317 -77.6897,166.317 -77.6964,166.317 -77.7031,166.317 -77.7098,166.317 -77.7165,166.317 -77.7232,166.317 -77.7299,166.317 -77.7366,166.317 -77.7433,166.317 -77.75,166.2836 -77.75,166.2502 -77.75,166.2168 -77.75,166.1834 -77.75,166.15 -77.75,166.1166 -77.75,166.0832 -77.75,166.0498 -77.75,166.0164 -77.75,165.983 -77.75,165.983 -77.7433,165.983 -77.7366,165.983 -77.7299,165.983 -77.7232,165.983 -77.7165,165.983 -77.7098,165.983 -77.7031,165.983 -77.6964,165.983 -77.6897,165.983 -77.683))"], "date_created": "Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The research will examine blood and muscle oxygen store depletion in relation to the documented aerobic dive limit (ADL, onset of post-dive blood lactate accumulation) in diving of emperor penguins. The intellectual merits of this proposal involve its evaluation of the physiological basis of the ADL concept. The ADL is probably the most commonly-used, but rarely measured, factor to interpret and model the behavior and foraging ecology of diving animals. Based on prior studies, and on recent investigations of respiratory and blood oxygen depletion during dives of emperor penguins, it is hypothesized that the ADL is a result of the depletion of myoglobin (Mb)-bound oxygen and increased glycolysis in the primary locomotory muscles. This project will accurately define the physiological mechanisms underlying the ADL through 1) evaluation of the rate and magnitude of muscle oxygen depletion during dives in relation to the previously measured ADL, 2) characterization of the hemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve in blood of emperor penguins and comparison of that curve to those of other diving and non-diving species, 3) application of the emperor hemoglogin-oxygen dissociation curve to previously collected oxygen and hemoglobin data in order to estimate the rate and magnitude of blood oxygen depletion during dives, and 4) measurement of muscle phosphoocreatine and glycogen concentrations in order to estimate their potential contributions to muscle energy metabolism during diving. The project also continues the census and monitoring of the emperor colonies in the Ross Sea, which is especially important in light of both fisheries activity and the movement of iceberg B15-A. Broader impacts of the project include: 1) technological development of microprocessor-based, \u0027backpack\u0027 near-infrared spectrophotometer, which will be applicable not only to other species, but also to other fields (i.e., exercise physiology), 2) collaboration with the Department of Anesthesia at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego in the training of anesthesia residents in research techniques, 3) the training and thesis research of two graduate students in these techniques and in Antarctic field research, and 4) a better understanding of the ADL concept and its use in the fields of diving behavior and physiology. In addition the annual census of emperor penguin colonies in the Ross Sea, in conjunction with the continued evaluation of previously developed remote cameras to monitor colony status, will form the basis of a new educational web site, and allow development of an educational outreach program to school children through SeaWorld of San Diego.", "east": 166.317, "geometry": ["POINT(166.15 -77.7165)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Penguin; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": -77.683, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Ponganis, Paul", "project_titles": "The Aerobic Dive Limit: Oxygen Transport and Depletion in Emperor Penguins", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000535", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Aerobic Dive Limit: Oxygen Transport and Depletion in Emperor Penguins"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.75, "title": "The Aerobic Dive Limit: Oxygen Transport and Depletion in Emperor Penguins", "uid": "600057", "west": 165.983}, {"awards": "0634682 Kanatous, Shane", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((160 -77,160.7 -77,161.4 -77,162.1 -77,162.8 -77,163.5 -77,164.2 -77,164.9 -77,165.6 -77,166.3 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.3 -78,165.6 -78,164.9 -78,164.2 -78,163.5 -78,162.8 -78,162.1 -78,161.4 -78,160.7 -78,160 -78,160 -77.9,160 -77.8,160 -77.7,160 -77.6,160 -77.5,160 -77.4,160 -77.3,160 -77.2,160 -77.1,160 -77))"], "date_created": "Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "During the past three decades, intensive field studies have revealed much about the behavior, physiology, life history, and population dynamics of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) population of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. These animals are marine predators that are highly adapted for an aquatic life in shore-fast and pack ice habitats. They must locate and capture sparsely distributed under the ice. Most of what is known about their diving behavior is based on studies of adult animals with little known about the development or the genetic controls of diving behavior of young animals. The goal of this project is to examine the temporal development of aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism and oxygen stores in the skeletal muscles of young Weddell seals and to determine which aspects of the cellular environment are important in the regulation of these adaptations during maturation. This project builds on past results to investigate the molecular controls that underlie the development of these adaptations. The first objective is to further characterize the ontogenetic changes in muscle aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism and myoglobin concentration and distribution using enzymatic, immuno-histochemical and myoglobin assays in newly weaned, subadult, and adult seals. The second objective is to determine the molecular controls that regulate these changes in aerobic capacity, fiber type distribution and myoglobin in skeletal muscles during maturation. Through subtractive hybridization and subsequent analysis, differences in mRNA populations in the swimming muscles of the different age classes of Weddell seals will be determined. These techniques will allow for the identification of the proteins and transcription factors that influence the ontogenetic changes in myoglobin concentration, fiber type distribution and aerobic capacity. These results will increase our understanding of both the ontogeny and molecular mechanisms by which young seals acquire the physiological capabilities to make deep (up to 700 m) and long aerobic dives (ca 20 min). This study will advance knowledge of the molecular regulation for the adaptations that enable active skeletal muscle to function under hypoxic conditions; this has a broader application for human medicine especially in regards to cardiac and pulmonary disease. Additional broader impacts include the participation of underrepresented scientists and a continuation of a website in collaboration with the Science Teachers Access to Resources at Southwestern University (STARS Program) which involves weekly updates about research efforts during the field season, weekly questions/answer session involving students and teachers, and updates on research results throughout the year.", "east": 167.0, "geometry": ["POINT(163.5 -77.5)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Seals; Sea Surface; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Antarctica; Sea Surface; Southern Ocean", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Lyons, W. Berry; Kanatous, Shane", "project_titles": "The Molecular Signals that Regulate the Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000536", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Molecular Signals that Regulate the Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "The Molecular Signals that Regulate the Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals", "uid": "600063", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "0238281 Marsh, Adam", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((163 -77,163.4 -77,163.8 -77,164.2 -77,164.6 -77,165 -77,165.4 -77,165.8 -77,166.2 -77,166.6 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.6 -78,166.2 -78,165.8 -78,165.4 -78,165 -78,164.6 -78,164.2 -78,163.8 -78,163.4 -78,163 -78,163 -77.9,163 -77.8,163 -77.7,163 -77.6,163 -77.5,163 -77.4,163 -77.3,163 -77.2,163 -77.1,163 -77))"], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Although we envision the coastal margins of Antarctica as an extreme environment challenging to the existence of life, there are many marine invertebrates that are adapted to live and thrive under the sea ice. For two field seasons, the SCUBA diving activities of this project routinely involved photographing these animals in all the dive locations as a way to document what we observed as the dominant organisms at each site. Ice diving is very strenuous for humans, and often the constraints of managing the work on a dive, monitoring air reserves, tracking proximity to the dive hole, and the 50 minute exposure to subfreezing temperatures limits a divers ability to \"catalog\" observations that are not essential to the current dive plan. The photographs archived here have provided the project\u0027s dive team with the ability to \"debrief\" following a dive and more or less reenact the dive by moving through the photograph images. Studying these images often served as a visual trigger for divers to recall more specific observations and in many cases details in the photographs were captured without the photographer (A. Marsh) realizing that they were there (such as small, cryptic species hiding in a shadow until the strobe light fires for the photo, illuminating these secondary subjects). These photographs are intended to serve as a record of what organisms we encountered in the McMurdo Sound area in 2004 and 2005. All photographs were taken with a Nikon D-70 in a polycarbonate underwater housing using either a 18 mm (wide) or 60 mm (macro) lens.", "east": 167.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77.5)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Southern Ocean", "locations": "McMurdo Sound; Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Marsh, Adam G.", "project_titles": "CAREER: Genomic Networks for Cold-Adaptation in Embryos of Polar Marine Invertebrates", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000240", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "CAREER: Genomic Networks for Cold-Adaptation in Embryos of Polar Marine Invertebrates"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Marine Invertebrates of McMurdo Sound", "uid": "600034", "west": 163.0}, {"awards": "0229638 Ponganis, Paul", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((163 -77,163.4 -77,163.8 -77,164.2 -77,164.6 -77,165 -77,165.4 -77,165.8 -77,166.2 -77,166.6 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.6 -78,166.2 -78,165.8 -78,165.4 -78,165 -78,164.6 -78,164.2 -78,163.8 -78,163.4 -78,163 -78,163 -77.9,163 -77.8,163 -77.7,163 -77.6,163 -77.5,163 -77.4,163 -77.3,163 -77.2,163 -77.1,163 -77))"], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, is the premier avian diver and a top predator in the Antarctic ecosystem. The routine occurrence of 500-m diver during foraging trips to sea is both a physiological and behavior enigma. The objectives of this project address how and why emperors dive as deep and long as they do. The project examines four major topics in the diving biology of emperor penguins: pressure tolerance, oxygen store management, end-organ tolerance of diving hypoxemia/ischemia, and deep-dive foraging behavior. These subjects are relevant to the role of the emperor as a top predator in the Antarctic ecosystem, and to critical concepts in diving physiology, including decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, shallow water blackout, hypoxemic tolerance, and extension of aerobic dive time. The following hypotheses will be tested: 1) Prevention of nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness in emperor penguins is achieved by inhibition of pulmonary gas exchange at depth. 2) Shallow water black out does not occur because of greater cerebral hypoxemic tolerance, and, in deep dives, because of resumption of pulmonary gas exchange during final ascent. 3) The rate of depletion of the blood oxygen store is a function of depth of dive and heart rate. 4) The aerobic dive limit (ADL) reflects the onset of lactate accumulation in locomotory muscle, not total depletion of all oxygen stores. 5) Elevation of tissue antioxidant capacity and free-radical scavenging enzyme activities protect against the routine ischemia/reperfusion which occur during diving. 6) During deep dives, the Antarctic silverfish, Pleuorogramma antarcticum, is the primary prey item for emperors. In addition to evaluation of the hypotheses below, the project has broader impacts in several areas such as partnership with foreign and national institutes and organizations (e.g., the National Institute of Polar Research of Japan, Centro de Investigacioines del Noroeste of Mexico, National Geographic, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Sea World). Participation in National Geographic television documentaries will provide unique educational opportunities for the general public; development of state-of-the-art technology (e.g., blood oxygen electrode recorders, blood samplers, and miniaturized digital cameras) will lay the groundwork for future research by this group and others; and the effects of the B15 iceberg on breeding success of emperor penguins will continue to be evaluated with population censuses during planned fieldwork at several Ross Sea emperor penguin colonies.", "east": 167.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77.5)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Penguin; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "Ponganis, Paul", "project_titles": "Diving Physiology and Behavior of Emperor Penguins", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000239", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Diving Physiology and Behavior of Emperor Penguins"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Diving Physiology and Behavior of Emperor Penguins", "uid": "600031", "west": 163.0}]
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Dataset Title/Abstract/Map | NSF Award(s) | Date Created | PIs / Scientists | Project Links | Abstract | Bounds Geometry | Geometry | Selected | Visible |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leopard Seal Diving behavior data
|
1644256 |
2023-05-11 | Costa, Daniel |
Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal |
The data provided here are the processed dive records obtained via Argos from the MK-10 Wildlife Computers tags. This includes the processed movement data, the diving behavior in terms of time and depth and the metadata for each seal | ["POLYGON((-73.106701 -52.962091,-69.1243089 -52.962091,-65.1419168 -52.962091,-61.159524700000006 -52.962091,-57.1771326 -52.962091,-53.1947405 -52.962091,-49.2123484 -52.962091,-45.2299563 -52.962091,-41.2475642 -52.962091,-37.2651721 -52.962091,-33.28278 -52.962091,-33.28278 -54.530129,-33.28278 -56.098167000000004,-33.28278 -57.666205000000005,-33.28278 -59.234243,-33.28278 -60.802281,-33.28278 -62.370319,-33.28278 -63.938357,-33.28278 -65.506395,-33.28278 -67.074433,-33.28278 -68.642471,-37.2651721 -68.642471,-41.2475642 -68.642471,-45.2299563 -68.642471,-49.2123484 -68.642471,-53.1947405 -68.642471,-57.1771326 -68.642471,-61.159524700000006 -68.642471,-65.1419168 -68.642471,-69.1243089 -68.642471,-73.106701 -68.642471,-73.106701 -67.074433,-73.106701 -65.506395,-73.106701 -63.938356999999996,-73.106701 -62.370319,-73.106701 -60.802281,-73.106701 -59.234243,-73.106701 -57.666205,-73.106701 -56.098167000000004,-73.106701 -54.530129,-73.106701 -52.962091))"] | ["POINT(-53.1947405 -60.802281)"] | false | false |
Leopard Seal movement data
|
1644256 |
2023-05-11 | Costa, Daniel |
Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal |
The data provided here are the processed dive records obtained via Argos from the MK-10 Wildlife Computers tags. This includes the processed movement data, the diving behavior in terms of time and depth and the metadata for each seal | ["POLYGON((-73.106701 -52.962091,-69.1243089 -52.962091,-65.1419168 -52.962091,-61.159524700000006 -52.962091,-57.1771326 -52.962091,-53.1947405 -52.962091,-49.2123484 -52.962091,-45.2299563 -52.962091,-41.2475642 -52.962091,-37.2651721 -52.962091,-33.28278 -52.962091,-33.28278 -54.530129,-33.28278 -56.098167000000004,-33.28278 -57.666205000000005,-33.28278 -59.234243,-33.28278 -60.802281,-33.28278 -62.370319,-33.28278 -63.938357,-33.28278 -65.506395,-33.28278 -67.074433,-33.28278 -68.642471,-37.2651721 -68.642471,-41.2475642 -68.642471,-45.2299563 -68.642471,-49.2123484 -68.642471,-53.1947405 -68.642471,-57.1771326 -68.642471,-61.159524700000006 -68.642471,-65.1419168 -68.642471,-69.1243089 -68.642471,-73.106701 -68.642471,-73.106701 -67.074433,-73.106701 -65.506395,-73.106701 -63.938356999999996,-73.106701 -62.370319,-73.106701 -60.802281,-73.106701 -59.234243,-73.106701 -57.666205,-73.106701 -56.098167000000004,-73.106701 -54.530129,-73.106701 -52.962091))"] | ["POINT(-53.1947405 -60.802281)"] | false | false |
Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation
|
1246463 |
2022-07-05 | Shero, Michelle |
Collaborative Research: Physiological and Genetic Correlates of Reproductive Success in High- versus Low-Quality Weddell seals The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals |
The profound impacts that maternal provisioning of finite energy resources has on offspring survival have been extensively studied across mammals. However, in addition to calories, we tested whether high hemoprotein concentrations in diving mammals necessitates exceptional female-to-pup iron transfer. To answer this question adult female Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were handled across the austral summer. This included post-partum females during lactation and post-weaning. To demonstrate that any observed changes in iron dynamics were due to lactation, equivalent skip-breeding females (i.e., that did not produce a pup) were also handled. We measured numerous indices of iron mobilization (ferritin, serum iron, total-iron-binding-capacity, transferrin saturation, milk iron concentration), hemoprotein concentrations, and oxygen stores. | ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.6 -75,163.2 -75,163.8 -75,164.4 -75,165 -75,165.6 -75,166.2 -75,166.8 -75,167.4 -75,168 -75,168 -75.4,168 -75.8,168 -76.2,168 -76.6,168 -77,168 -77.4,168 -77.8,168 -78.2,168 -78.6,168 -79,167.4 -79,166.8 -79,166.2 -79,165.6 -79,165 -79,164.4 -79,163.8 -79,163.2 -79,162.6 -79,162 -79,162 -78.6,162 -78.2,162 -77.8,162 -77.4,162 -77,162 -76.6,162 -76.2,162 -75.8,162 -75.4,162 -75))"] | ["POINT(165 -77)"] | false | false |
1970s - 1980s Kooyman-Billups TDR Dive Records from Weddell Seals in McMurdo Sound
|
1246463 |
2022-05-09 | Tsai, EmmaLi |
The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals |
This dataset includes dive records from Weddell seals located in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica from the austral summers of 1978, 1979, and 1981 using Kooyman-Billups Time Depth Recorders. The data were recovered from photocopied paper scrolls using a code package (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14025657). This recovery process involved record scanning, image processing, and bias correction such that the historic data are directly comparable with dive data from modern instruments. This dataset contains the scanned images of the paper dive records (KBTDR_record_scans) and comma-separated value files of the dive data after recovery (KBTDR_data). Only records from McMurdo Sound were recovered, but record scans from Terra Nova Bay and White Island are also provided for future long-term studies on diving behavior. | ["POINT(165 -77)"] | ["POINT(165 -77)"] | false | false |
Weddell seal summer diving behavior
|
1246463 |
2018-11-24 | Beltran, Roxanne; Burns, Jennifer |
The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals |
We examined the influence of sea ice break-out on seasonal diving patterns and diet of a top predator, the Weddell seal, to understand how phytoplankton blooms impact the vertical distribution of the food web. We captured female seals during the November and December lactation period and attached a LOTEK LAT1800 time-depth recorder (TDR) flipper tag with a 6 second sampling interval. Data were processed using the Iknos toolbox in MATLAB. Benthic dives (1% of all dives) were excluded from analyses because we were interested in quantifying seasonal changes in mid-water dives. Thus, we analyzed dives from 59 Weddell seals to characterize the diving depth and foraging effort of each seal across the austral summer over four years. We characterized seasonal changes in diving depth by calculating the mean across all seals of the maximum dive depth on each day for each seal. For more information see: Beltran, R. S. Bridging the gap between pupping and molting phenology: behavioral and ecological drivers in Weddell seals PhD thesis, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (2018). | [] | [] | false | false |
Biosamples and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in McMurdo Sound during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season
|
1443554 |
2017-05-27 | Hindle, Allyson; Buys, Emmanuel |
Unraveling the Genomic and Molecular Basis of the Dive Response: Nitric Oxide Signaling and Vasoregulation in the Weddell Seal |
The Weddell seal is a champion diving mammal - key elements of their physiological specializations to breath-hold are their ability for remarkable adjustment of their heart and blood vessel system, coordinating blood pressure and flow to specific body regions based on their metabolic requirements, and their ability to sustain periods without oxygen. The goal of this study is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the dive response, specifically, to study a signaling pathway that coordinates local blood flow. This dataset identifies what animals were sampled and the details of what biosamples were collected to test the hypothesis that signaling modifications prevent local blood vessel changes under low oxygen conditions, thereby allowing the centrally mediated diving reflex to override local perfusion control. The metadata also details cryopreserved cells and cell lines that can be used to study the molecular effects of low oxygen conditions in the laboratory | ["POLYGON((166.163 -76.665,166.2635 -76.665,166.364 -76.665,166.4645 -76.665,166.565 -76.665,166.6655 -76.665,166.766 -76.665,166.8665 -76.665,166.967 -76.665,167.0675 -76.665,167.168 -76.665,167.168 -76.782,167.168 -76.899,167.168 -77.016,167.168 -77.133,167.168 -77.25,167.168 -77.367,167.168 -77.484,167.168 -77.601,167.168 -77.718,167.168 -77.835,167.0675 -77.835,166.967 -77.835,166.8665 -77.835,166.766 -77.835,166.6655 -77.835,166.565 -77.835,166.4645 -77.835,166.364 -77.835,166.2635 -77.835,166.163 -77.835,166.163 -77.718,166.163 -77.601,166.163 -77.484,166.163 -77.367,166.163 -77.25,166.163 -77.133,166.163 -77.016,166.163 -76.899,166.163 -76.782,166.163 -76.665))"] | ["POINT(166.6655 -77.25)"] | false | false |
Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program
|
1553824 |
2017-05-12 | Heine, John |
Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program |
Overall dataset and specific temperature data for a number of different rebreather models. | ["POLYGON((163 -78,163.4 -78,163.8 -78,164.2 -78,164.6 -78,165 -78,165.4 -78,165.8 -78,166.2 -78,166.6 -78,167 -78,167 -78.05,167 -78.1,167 -78.15,167 -78.2,167 -78.25,167 -78.3,167 -78.35,167 -78.4,167 -78.45,167 -78.5,166.6 -78.5,166.2 -78.5,165.8 -78.5,165.4 -78.5,165 -78.5,164.6 -78.5,164.2 -78.5,163.8 -78.5,163.4 -78.5,163 -78.5,163 -78.45,163 -78.4,163 -78.35,163 -78.3,163 -78.25,163 -78.2,163 -78.15,163 -78.1,163 -78.05,163 -78))"] | ["POINT(165 -78.25)"] | false | false |
Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets
|
1321782 |
2015-01-01 | Costa, Daniel |
Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets |
Identifying the basic habitat requirements of Antarctic predators is fundamental to understanding how they will respond to the human-induced challenges of commercial fisheries and climate change. This understanding can only be achieved if the underlying linkages to physical processes are related to animal movements. As part of the international Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) organized by the SCAR Expert Group of Birds and Marine Mammals, this research will collate and synthesize tracking data from crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophagus, and Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddelli. These data will be combined with all available data from the Southern Ocean that has been collected by researchers from Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and the USA. These data will be analyzed using a common analytical approach and synthesized into a synoptic view of these two species across the Southern Ocean. The diving and movement patterns will be examined for each species. As well, the total home range and core habitat utilization patterns for each species and region will be determined. This study will develop global habitat maps for each species based on physical and biological attributes of their 'hot-spots' and then overlay all the species specific maps to identify multi-species areas of ecological significance. Broader impacts include support and training for a postdoctoral scholar, the production of a publicly available database and the participation in an international data synthesis effort. | ["POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))"] | ["POINT(0 -89.999)"] | false | false |
Pre and Post Molt Biology of Emperor Penguins - Oden Trans - Ross / Amundsen Sea Cruise
|
1043454 |
2015-01-01 | Kooyman, Gerald |
Pre and post molt biology of emperor penguins - Oden trans - Ross / Amundsen Sea cruise |
The emperor penguin dives deeper and longer, fasts longer, and endures the harshest weather conditions of all diving birds. It spends about four and half months per annum deep in Antarctic pack ice away from shore and stations, and thus is largely unavailable for study. This time includes preparation for the molt, and travel to the colony to breed, a time period in which great swings in body weight occur. This study will fill an important gap in what we know about the biology of the annual cycle of the emperor by examining the molt-post molt period. The P.I. proposes to traverse the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas on the Oden, to locate and tag emperor penguins during the molt season. The objectives are to (1) Place satellite tags on 20 adult post molt birds to determine their route, rate of travel, and diving behavior as they return back to their breeding colonies, (2) Obtain an index of body condition, (3) Collect guano to determine the type of food consumed by emperor penguins in the region, (4) Conduct shipboard surveys to sight and plot the location and abundance of adult and juvenile birds on the ship's track. The PI hypothesizes that bird dives will be shallow during the initial post-molt phase, and that food will consist primarily of krill; that there will be differential dispersal of birds from the Ross Sea vs. Marie Byrd Land, with Ross Sea birds traveling farther; and that the greatest adult mortality occurs during the molt and early post molt period. Broader impacts include training of a post doc, a graduate student, and an aquarium volunteer. The P.I. also will present findings through a website, through public lectures, and in collaboration with the Birch aquarium. | ["POLYGON((-172.642 -72.55,-170.9074 -72.55,-169.1728 -72.55,-167.4382 -72.55,-165.7036 -72.55,-163.969 -72.55,-162.2344 -72.55,-160.4998 -72.55,-158.7652 -72.55,-157.0306 -72.55,-155.296 -72.55,-155.296 -73.0743,-155.296 -73.5986,-155.296 -74.1229,-155.296 -74.6472,-155.296 -75.1715,-155.296 -75.6958,-155.296 -76.2201,-155.296 -76.7444,-155.296 -77.2687,-155.296 -77.793,-157.0306 -77.793,-158.7652 -77.793,-160.4998 -77.793,-162.2344 -77.793,-163.969 -77.793,-165.7036 -77.793,-167.4382 -77.793,-169.1728 -77.793,-170.9074 -77.793,-172.642 -77.793,-172.642 -77.2687,-172.642 -76.7444,-172.642 -76.2201,-172.642 -75.6958,-172.642 -75.1715,-172.642 -74.6472,-172.642 -74.1229,-172.642 -73.5986,-172.642 -73.0743,-172.642 -72.55))"] | ["POINT(-163.969 -75.1715)"] | false | false |
Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea
|
0838937 |
2014-01-01 | Costa, Daniel |
Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea |
Marine mammals of the Southern Ocean have evolved diverse life history patterns and foraging strategies to accommodate extreme fluctuations in the physical and biological environment. In light of ongoing climate change and the dramatic shifts in the extent and persistence of sea ice in the Ross Sea, it is critical to understand how Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, a key apex predator, select and utilize foraging habitats. Recent advances in satellite-linked animal-borne conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) tags make it possible to simultaneously collect data on seal locations, their diving patterns, and the temperature and salinity profiles of the water columns they utilize. In other ecosystems, such data have revealed that marine predators selectively forage in areas where currents and fronts serve to locally concentrate prey resources, and that these conditions are required to sustain populations. Weddell seals will be studied in McMurdo Sound and at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea and will provide the first new data on Weddell seal winter diving behavior and habitat use in almost two decades. The relationship between an animal's diving behavior and physical habitat has enormous potential to enhance monitoring studies and to provide insight into how changes in ice conditions (due either to warming or the impact of large icebergs, such as B15) might impact individual time budgets and foraging success. The second thrust of this project is to use the profiles obtained from CTD seal tags to model the physical oceanography of this region. Current mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes in the Southern Ocean are directed at better understanding the role that it plays in global climate processes, and the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. However, these efforts are limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data at high latitudes in the winter months; CTD tags deployed on animals will collect data at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to improve data density. The project will contribute to two IPY endorsed initiatives: MEOP (Marine Mammals as Explorers of the Ocean Pole to Pole) and CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life). In addition, the highly visual nature of the data and analysis lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to global climate change, and we have collaborations with undergraduate and graduate training programs, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the ARMADA program to foster these broader impacts. | ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.7 -75,163.4 -75,164.1 -75,164.8 -75,165.5 -75,166.2 -75,166.9 -75,167.6 -75,168.3 -75,169 -75,169 -75.3,169 -75.6,169 -75.9,169 -76.2,169 -76.5,169 -76.8,169 -77.1,169 -77.4,169 -77.7,169 -78,168.3 -78,167.6 -78,166.9 -78,166.2 -78,165.5 -78,164.8 -78,164.1 -78,163.4 -78,162.7 -78,162 -78,162 -77.7,162 -77.4,162 -77.1,162 -76.8,162 -76.5,162 -76.2,162 -75.9,162 -75.6,162 -75.3,162 -75))"] | ["POINT(165.5 -76.5)"] | false | false |
The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals
|
0944220 |
2014-01-01 | Ponganis, Paul |
The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals |
Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are iconic, top predators in Antarctica. Understanding their physiological ecology is essential to the assessment of their adaptability to the threats of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. The proposed research has multipronged objectives. Prior results suggest that Emperor penguins have flexible (vs. static) aerobic dive limits (ADL) that vary with the type of dive, and that the role of heart rate in utilization of oxygen stores also varies with dive type. A series of physiological measurements are proposed with backpack electrocardiogram recorders, that will allow further delineation of patterns and interrelationships among heart rate, dive behavior, and oxygen stores. Importantly, the research will be done on free diving emperors, and not individuals confined to a dive hole, thereby providing a more genuine measure of diving physiology and behavior. A separate objective is to examine foraging behavior of leopard seals, using a backpack digital camera and time depth recorder. Leopard seal behavior and prey intake is poorly quantified, but known to be significant. Accordingly the research is somewhat exploratory but will provide important baseline data. Finally, the P.I. proposes to continue long term overflight censuses of Emperor penguin colonies in the Ross Sea. Broader impacts include collaboration with National Geographic television, graduate student training, and development of sedation techniques for leopard seals. | ["POLYGON((-160 -68,-159 -68,-158 -68,-157 -68,-156 -68,-155 -68,-154 -68,-153 -68,-152 -68,-151 -68,-150 -68,-150 -69,-150 -70,-150 -71,-150 -72,-150 -73,-150 -74,-150 -75,-150 -76,-150 -77,-150 -78,-151 -78,-152 -78,-153 -78,-154 -78,-155 -78,-156 -78,-157 -78,-158 -78,-159 -78,-160 -78,-160 -77,-160 -76,-160 -75,-160 -74,-160 -73,-160 -72,-160 -71,-160 -70,-160 -69,-160 -68))"] | ["POINT(-155 -73)"] | false | false |
Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea
|
0838892 |
2013-01-01 | Burns, Jennifer |
Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea |
Marine mammals of the Southern Ocean have evolved diverse life history patterns and foraging strategies to accommodate extreme fluctuations in the physical and biological environment. In light of ongoing climate change and the dramatic shifts in the extent and persistence of sea ice in the Ross Sea, it is critical to understand how Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, a key apex predator, select and utilize foraging habitats. Recent advances in satellite-linked animal-borne conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) tags make it possible to simultaneously collect data on seal locations, their diving patterns, and the temperature and salinity profiles of the water columns they utilize. In other ecosystems, such data have revealed that marine predators selectively forage in areas where currents and fronts serve to locally concentrate prey resources, and that these conditions are required to sustain populations. Weddell seals will be studied in McMurdo Sound and at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea and will provide the first new data on Weddell seal winter diving behavior and habitat use in almost two decades. The relationship between an animal's diving behavior and physical habitat has enormous potential to enhance monitoring studies and to provide insight into how changes in ice conditions (due either to warming or the impact of large icebergs, such as B15) might impact individual time budgets and foraging success. The second thrust of this project is to use the profiles obtained from CTD seal tags to model the physical oceanography of this region. Current mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes in the Southern Ocean are directed at better understanding the role that it plays in global climate processes, and the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. However, these efforts are limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data at high latitudes in the winter months; CTD tags deployed on animals will collect data at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to improve data density. The project will contribute to two IPY endorsed initiatives: MEOP (Marine Mammals as Explorers of the Ocean Pole to Pole) and CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life). In addition, the highly visual nature of the data and analysis lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to global climate change, and we have collaborations with undergraduate and graduate training programs, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the ARMADA program to foster these broader impacts. | ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.7 -75,163.4 -75,164.1 -75,164.8 -75,165.5 -75,166.2 -75,166.9 -75,167.6 -75,168.3 -75,169 -75,169 -75.3,169 -75.6,169 -75.9,169 -76.2,169 -76.5,169 -76.8,169 -77.1,169 -77.4,169 -77.7,169 -78,168.3 -78,167.6 -78,166.9 -78,166.2 -78,165.5 -78,164.8 -78,164.1 -78,163.4 -78,162.7 -78,162 -78,162 -77.7,162 -77.4,162 -77.1,162 -76.8,162 -76.5,162 -76.2,162 -75.9,162 -75.6,162 -75.3,162 -75))"] | ["POINT(165.5 -76.5)"] | false | false |
Real-Time Characterization of Adelie Penguin Foraging Environment Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
|
1019838 |
2013-01-01 | Wendt, Dean; Moline, Mark |
Real-Time Characterization of Adelie Penguin Foraging Environment Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle |
The Antarctic Peninsula is among the most rapidly warming regions on earth. Increased heat from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has elevated the temperature of the 300 m of shelf water below the permanent pycnocline by 0.7 degrees C. This trend has displaced the once dominant cold, dry continental Antarctic climate, and is causing multi-level responses in the marine ecosystem. One striking example of the ecosystem response to warming has been the local declines in ice-dependent Adélie penguins. The changes in these apex predators are thought to be driven by alterations in phytoplankton and zooplankton community composition, and the foraging limitations and diet differences between these species. One of the most elusive questions facing researchers interested in the foraging ecology of the Adélie penguin, namely, what are the biophysical properties that characterize the three dimensional foraging space of this top predator? The research will combine the real-time site and diving information from the Adélie penguin satellite tags with the full characterization of the oceanography and the penguins prey field using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). While some of these changes have been documented over large spatial scales of the WAP, it is now thought that the causal mechanisms that favor of one life history strategy over another may actually operate over much smaller scales than previously thought, specifically on the scale of local breeding sites and over-wintering areas. Characterization of prey fields on these local scales has yet to be done and one that the AUV is ideally suited. The results will have a direct tie to the climate induced changes that are occurring in the West Antarctic Peninsula. This study will also highlight a new approach to linking an autonomous platform to bird behavior that could be expanded to include the other two species of penguins and examine the seasonal differences in their foraging behavior and prey selection. From a vehicle perspective, this effort will inform the AUV user community of new sensor suites and/or data processing approaches that are required to better evaluate foraging habitat. The project also will help transition AUV platforms into routine investigative tools for this region, which is chronically under sampled and will remain difficult to access | [] | [] | false | false |
Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection
|
0440687 |
2010-01-01 | Klinck, John M.; Crocker, Daniel; Goebel, Michael; Hofmann, Eileen; Costa, Daniel |
Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection |
As long-lived animals, marine mammals must be capable of accommodating broad variations in food resources over large spatial and temporal scales. While this is true of all marine mammals, variation in the physical and biological environmental is particularly profound in the Southern Ocean. A basic understanding of the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of pelagic predators requires knowledge of this spatial and temporal variation, coupled with information of how they respond to these changes. Current understanding of these associations is primarily limited to population level studies where animal abundance has been correlated with oceanography. Although these studies are informative, they cannot provide insights into the strategies employed by individual animals nor can they provide insights into the spatial or temporal course of these interactions. Recent technological advances in instrumentation make it possible to extend an understanding beyond the simple linkage of prey and predator distributions with environmental features. The key to understanding the processes that lead to high predator abundance is the identification of the specific foraging behaviors associated with different features of the water column. This study will accomplish these objectives by combining accurate positional data, measures of diving and foraging behavior, animal-derived water-column temperature and salinity data, and available oceanographic data. This project will examine the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of two species of contrasting foraging ecology, the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, and the crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, a region of strong environmental gradients. Although these two species are phylogenetically related, they utilize substantially different but adjacent habitat types. Southern elephant seals are predominantly pelagic, moving throughout the southern ocean, venturing occasionally into the seasonal pack ice whereas crabeater seals range throughout the seasonal pack ice, venturing occasionally into open water. The relationship of specific foraging behaviors and animal movement patterns to oceanographic and bathymetric features develop and test models of the importance of these features in defining habitat use will be determined along with a comparison of how individuals of each species respond to annual variability in the marine environment. The physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean is inherently complex as are the biological processes that are intrinsically linked to oceanographic processes. Significant resources are currently being directed toward developing mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes with the goals of better understanding the role that the Southern Ocean plays in global climate processes, predicting the responses of ocean and global scale processes to climate change, and understanding the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. These efforts have been limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data in the region, especially at high latitudes in the winter months. This study will provide new and significant oceanographic data on temperature and salinity profiles in to further the understanding of the dynamics of the upper water column of west Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf waters. Outreach activities include website development and an association with a marine education program at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. | ["POLYGON((-64 -60,-63 -60,-62 -60,-61 -60,-60 -60,-59 -60,-58 -60,-57 -60,-56 -60,-55 -60,-54 -60,-54 -60.4,-54 -60.8,-54 -61.2,-54 -61.6,-54 -62,-54 -62.4,-54 -62.8,-54 -63.2,-54 -63.6,-54 -64,-55 -64,-56 -64,-57 -64,-58 -64,-59 -64,-60 -64,-61 -64,-62 -64,-63 -64,-64 -64,-64 -63.6,-64 -63.2,-64 -62.8,-64 -62.4,-64 -62,-64 -61.6,-64 -61.2,-64 -60.8,-64 -60.4,-64 -60))"] | ["POINT(-59 -62)"] | false | false |
Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment
|
0649609 |
2010-01-01 | Horning, Markus |
Collaborative Research: Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment |
The primary objectives of this research are to investigate the proximate effects of aging on diving capability in the Weddell Seal and to describe mechanisms by which aging may influence foraging ecology, through physiology and behavior. This model pinniped species has been the focus of three decades of research in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Compared to the knowledge of pinniped diving physiology and ecology during early development and young adulthood, little is known about individuals nearing the upper limit of their normal reproductive age range. Evolutionary aging theories predict that elderly diving seals should exhibit senescence. This should be exacerbated by surges in the generation of oxygen free radicals via hypoxia-reoxygenation during breath-hold diving and hunting, which are implicated in age-related damage to cellular mitochondria. Surprisingly, limited observations of non-threatened pinniped populations indicate that senescence does not occur to a level where reproductive output is affected. The ability of pinnipeds to avoid apparent senescence raises two major questions: what specific physiological and morphological changes occur with advancing age in pinnipeds; and what subtle adjustments are made by these animals to cope with such changes? This investigation will focus on specific, functional physiological and behavioral changes relating to dive capability with advancing age. Data will be compared between Weddell seals in the peak, and near the end, of their reproductive age range. The investigators will quantify age-related changes in general health and body condition, combined with fine scale assessments of external and internal ability to do work in the form of diving. Specifically, patterns of muscle morphology, oxidant status and oxygen storage with age will be examined. The effects of age on skeletal muscular function and exercise performance will also be examined. The investigators hypothesize that senescence does occur in Weddell seals at the level of small-scale, proximate physiological effects and performance, but that behavioral plasticity allows for a given degree of compensation. Broader impacts include the training of students and outreach activities including interviews and articles written for the popular media. This study should also establish diving seals as a novel model for the study of cardiovascular and muscular physiology of aging and develop a foundation for similar research on other species. Advancement of the understanding of aging by medical science has been impressive in recent years but basic mammalian aging is an area of study the still requires considerable effort. The development of new models for the study of aging has tremendous potential benefits to society at large. | ["POLYGON((165.975 -77.54,166.0631 -77.54,166.1512 -77.54,166.2393 -77.54,166.3274 -77.54,166.4155 -77.54,166.5036 -77.54,166.5917 -77.54,166.6798 -77.54,166.7679 -77.54,166.856 -77.54,166.856 -77.5709,166.856 -77.6018,166.856 -77.6327,166.856 -77.6636,166.856 -77.6945,166.856 -77.7254,166.856 -77.7563,166.856 -77.7872,166.856 -77.8181,166.856 -77.849,166.7679 -77.849,166.6798 -77.849,166.5917 -77.849,166.5036 -77.849,166.4155 -77.849,166.3274 -77.849,166.2393 -77.849,166.1512 -77.849,166.0631 -77.849,165.975 -77.849,165.975 -77.8181,165.975 -77.7872,165.975 -77.7563,165.975 -77.7254,165.975 -77.6945,165.975 -77.6636,165.975 -77.6327,165.975 -77.6018,165.975 -77.5709,165.975 -77.54))"] | ["POINT(166.4155 -77.6945)"] | false | false |
The Aerobic Dive Limit: Oxygen Transport and Depletion in Emperor Penguins
|
0538594 |
2009-01-01 | Ponganis, Paul |
The Aerobic Dive Limit: Oxygen Transport and Depletion in Emperor Penguins |
The research will examine blood and muscle oxygen store depletion in relation to the documented aerobic dive limit (ADL, onset of post-dive blood lactate accumulation) in diving of emperor penguins. The intellectual merits of this proposal involve its evaluation of the physiological basis of the ADL concept. The ADL is probably the most commonly-used, but rarely measured, factor to interpret and model the behavior and foraging ecology of diving animals. Based on prior studies, and on recent investigations of respiratory and blood oxygen depletion during dives of emperor penguins, it is hypothesized that the ADL is a result of the depletion of myoglobin (Mb)-bound oxygen and increased glycolysis in the primary locomotory muscles. This project will accurately define the physiological mechanisms underlying the ADL through 1) evaluation of the rate and magnitude of muscle oxygen depletion during dives in relation to the previously measured ADL, 2) characterization of the hemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve in blood of emperor penguins and comparison of that curve to those of other diving and non-diving species, 3) application of the emperor hemoglogin-oxygen dissociation curve to previously collected oxygen and hemoglobin data in order to estimate the rate and magnitude of blood oxygen depletion during dives, and 4) measurement of muscle phosphoocreatine and glycogen concentrations in order to estimate their potential contributions to muscle energy metabolism during diving. The project also continues the census and monitoring of the emperor colonies in the Ross Sea, which is especially important in light of both fisheries activity and the movement of iceberg B15-A. Broader impacts of the project include: 1) technological development of microprocessor-based, 'backpack' near-infrared spectrophotometer, which will be applicable not only to other species, but also to other fields (i.e., exercise physiology), 2) collaboration with the Department of Anesthesia at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego in the training of anesthesia residents in research techniques, 3) the training and thesis research of two graduate students in these techniques and in Antarctic field research, and 4) a better understanding of the ADL concept and its use in the fields of diving behavior and physiology. In addition the annual census of emperor penguin colonies in the Ross Sea, in conjunction with the continued evaluation of previously developed remote cameras to monitor colony status, will form the basis of a new educational web site, and allow development of an educational outreach program to school children through SeaWorld of San Diego. | ["POLYGON((165.983 -77.683,166.0164 -77.683,166.0498 -77.683,166.0832 -77.683,166.1166 -77.683,166.15 -77.683,166.1834 -77.683,166.2168 -77.683,166.2502 -77.683,166.2836 -77.683,166.317 -77.683,166.317 -77.6897,166.317 -77.6964,166.317 -77.7031,166.317 -77.7098,166.317 -77.7165,166.317 -77.7232,166.317 -77.7299,166.317 -77.7366,166.317 -77.7433,166.317 -77.75,166.2836 -77.75,166.2502 -77.75,166.2168 -77.75,166.1834 -77.75,166.15 -77.75,166.1166 -77.75,166.0832 -77.75,166.0498 -77.75,166.0164 -77.75,165.983 -77.75,165.983 -77.7433,165.983 -77.7366,165.983 -77.7299,165.983 -77.7232,165.983 -77.7165,165.983 -77.7098,165.983 -77.7031,165.983 -77.6964,165.983 -77.6897,165.983 -77.683))"] | ["POINT(166.15 -77.7165)"] | false | false |
The Molecular Signals that Regulate the Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals
|
0634682 |
2009-01-01 | Lyons, W. Berry; Kanatous, Shane |
The Molecular Signals that Regulate the Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals |
During the past three decades, intensive field studies have revealed much about the behavior, physiology, life history, and population dynamics of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) population of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. These animals are marine predators that are highly adapted for an aquatic life in shore-fast and pack ice habitats. They must locate and capture sparsely distributed under the ice. Most of what is known about their diving behavior is based on studies of adult animals with little known about the development or the genetic controls of diving behavior of young animals. The goal of this project is to examine the temporal development of aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism and oxygen stores in the skeletal muscles of young Weddell seals and to determine which aspects of the cellular environment are important in the regulation of these adaptations during maturation. This project builds on past results to investigate the molecular controls that underlie the development of these adaptations. The first objective is to further characterize the ontogenetic changes in muscle aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism and myoglobin concentration and distribution using enzymatic, immuno-histochemical and myoglobin assays in newly weaned, subadult, and adult seals. The second objective is to determine the molecular controls that regulate these changes in aerobic capacity, fiber type distribution and myoglobin in skeletal muscles during maturation. Through subtractive hybridization and subsequent analysis, differences in mRNA populations in the swimming muscles of the different age classes of Weddell seals will be determined. These techniques will allow for the identification of the proteins and transcription factors that influence the ontogenetic changes in myoglobin concentration, fiber type distribution and aerobic capacity. These results will increase our understanding of both the ontogeny and molecular mechanisms by which young seals acquire the physiological capabilities to make deep (up to 700 m) and long aerobic dives (ca 20 min). This study will advance knowledge of the molecular regulation for the adaptations that enable active skeletal muscle to function under hypoxic conditions; this has a broader application for human medicine especially in regards to cardiac and pulmonary disease. Additional broader impacts include the participation of underrepresented scientists and a continuation of a website in collaboration with the Science Teachers Access to Resources at Southwestern University (STARS Program) which involves weekly updates about research efforts during the field season, weekly questions/answer session involving students and teachers, and updates on research results throughout the year. | ["POLYGON((160 -77,160.7 -77,161.4 -77,162.1 -77,162.8 -77,163.5 -77,164.2 -77,164.9 -77,165.6 -77,166.3 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.3 -78,165.6 -78,164.9 -78,164.2 -78,163.5 -78,162.8 -78,162.1 -78,161.4 -78,160.7 -78,160 -78,160 -77.9,160 -77.8,160 -77.7,160 -77.6,160 -77.5,160 -77.4,160 -77.3,160 -77.2,160 -77.1,160 -77))"] | ["POINT(163.5 -77.5)"] | false | false |
Marine Invertebrates of McMurdo Sound
|
0238281 |
2008-01-01 | Marsh, Adam G. |
CAREER: Genomic Networks for Cold-Adaptation in Embryos of Polar Marine Invertebrates |
Although we envision the coastal margins of Antarctica as an extreme environment challenging to the existence of life, there are many marine invertebrates that are adapted to live and thrive under the sea ice. For two field seasons, the SCUBA diving activities of this project routinely involved photographing these animals in all the dive locations as a way to document what we observed as the dominant organisms at each site. Ice diving is very strenuous for humans, and often the constraints of managing the work on a dive, monitoring air reserves, tracking proximity to the dive hole, and the 50 minute exposure to subfreezing temperatures limits a divers ability to "catalog" observations that are not essential to the current dive plan. The photographs archived here have provided the project's dive team with the ability to "debrief" following a dive and more or less reenact the dive by moving through the photograph images. Studying these images often served as a visual trigger for divers to recall more specific observations and in many cases details in the photographs were captured without the photographer (A. Marsh) realizing that they were there (such as small, cryptic species hiding in a shadow until the strobe light fires for the photo, illuminating these secondary subjects). These photographs are intended to serve as a record of what organisms we encountered in the McMurdo Sound area in 2004 and 2005. All photographs were taken with a Nikon D-70 in a polycarbonate underwater housing using either a 18 mm (wide) or 60 mm (macro) lens. | ["POLYGON((163 -77,163.4 -77,163.8 -77,164.2 -77,164.6 -77,165 -77,165.4 -77,165.8 -77,166.2 -77,166.6 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.6 -78,166.2 -78,165.8 -78,165.4 -78,165 -78,164.6 -78,164.2 -78,163.8 -78,163.4 -78,163 -78,163 -77.9,163 -77.8,163 -77.7,163 -77.6,163 -77.5,163 -77.4,163 -77.3,163 -77.2,163 -77.1,163 -77))"] | ["POINT(165 -77.5)"] | false | false |
Diving Physiology and Behavior of Emperor Penguins
|
0229638 |
2008-01-01 | Ponganis, Paul |
Diving Physiology and Behavior of Emperor Penguins |
The emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, is the premier avian diver and a top predator in the Antarctic ecosystem. The routine occurrence of 500-m diver during foraging trips to sea is both a physiological and behavior enigma. The objectives of this project address how and why emperors dive as deep and long as they do. The project examines four major topics in the diving biology of emperor penguins: pressure tolerance, oxygen store management, end-organ tolerance of diving hypoxemia/ischemia, and deep-dive foraging behavior. These subjects are relevant to the role of the emperor as a top predator in the Antarctic ecosystem, and to critical concepts in diving physiology, including decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, shallow water blackout, hypoxemic tolerance, and extension of aerobic dive time. The following hypotheses will be tested: 1) Prevention of nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness in emperor penguins is achieved by inhibition of pulmonary gas exchange at depth. 2) Shallow water black out does not occur because of greater cerebral hypoxemic tolerance, and, in deep dives, because of resumption of pulmonary gas exchange during final ascent. 3) The rate of depletion of the blood oxygen store is a function of depth of dive and heart rate. 4) The aerobic dive limit (ADL) reflects the onset of lactate accumulation in locomotory muscle, not total depletion of all oxygen stores. 5) Elevation of tissue antioxidant capacity and free-radical scavenging enzyme activities protect against the routine ischemia/reperfusion which occur during diving. 6) During deep dives, the Antarctic silverfish, Pleuorogramma antarcticum, is the primary prey item for emperors. In addition to evaluation of the hypotheses below, the project has broader impacts in several areas such as partnership with foreign and national institutes and organizations (e.g., the National Institute of Polar Research of Japan, Centro de Investigacioines del Noroeste of Mexico, National Geographic, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Sea World). Participation in National Geographic television documentaries will provide unique educational opportunities for the general public; development of state-of-the-art technology (e.g., blood oxygen electrode recorders, blood samplers, and miniaturized digital cameras) will lay the groundwork for future research by this group and others; and the effects of the B15 iceberg on breeding success of emperor penguins will continue to be evaluated with population censuses during planned fieldwork at several Ross Sea emperor penguin colonies. | ["POLYGON((163 -77,163.4 -77,163.8 -77,164.2 -77,164.6 -77,165 -77,165.4 -77,165.8 -77,166.2 -77,166.6 -77,167 -77,167 -77.1,167 -77.2,167 -77.3,167 -77.4,167 -77.5,167 -77.6,167 -77.7,167 -77.8,167 -77.9,167 -78,166.6 -78,166.2 -78,165.8 -78,165.4 -78,165 -78,164.6 -78,164.2 -78,163.8 -78,163.4 -78,163 -78,163 -77.9,163 -77.8,163 -77.7,163 -77.6,163 -77.5,163 -77.4,163 -77.3,163 -77.2,163 -77.1,163 -77))"] | ["POINT(165 -77.5)"] | false | false |