USAP-DC

{"dp_type": "Dataset", "free_text": "Weddell Seals"}

[{"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.6528846). 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": "Mcmurdo Sound; Antarctica", "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": "1644196 Cziko, Paul", "bounds_geometry": ["POINT(166.6645 -77.851)"], "date_created": "Tue, 29 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Broadband underwater acoustic recordings from the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory mooring near the seaward terminus of the McMurdo Station seawater intake jetty. An omnidirectional Ocean Sonics icListen hydrophone (SB2-ETH, SN 1713) recorded continuously at 512 kilosamples/second (256 kHz Nyquist frequency; 24 bit) for 2 years. The hydrophone was mounted vertically on a steel strut (insulated with rubber sheet) at about 70 cm above the mud/gravel seabed at 21m deep, with the sloping 45\u00b0 rubble face of the jetty just behind the hydrophone. Temporal coverage is \u003e90%, with gaps and truncated files arising due to network and power outages and software bugs. The audio recordings are 10 minute WAV files, compressed using the lossless FLAC code (Free Lossless Audio Codec, xiph.org; about 33MB of data/minute compressed; 100MB/min uncompressed). The hydrophone was under thick (to 3 m) sea ice cover for the majority of the dataset. The majority of the recorded biological sounds were produced by Weddell seals. Orca were present intermittently (~10 days total) in January-March in both summers. Known non-biological sounds include irregular low-intensity, broad-spectrum clicks and cracks from the sea ice cover, occasional wind noise, a 1.5-s gurgle with components to 200kHz every 90s from the CTD\u2019s pump, a broad-spectrum mechanical sound for 3 min every 4 h from the observatory\u0027s underwater camera cleaning system, low-intensity whines (about 18, 58, 83, and 130 kHz, though variable over the dataset) thought to be from the station seawater pumps (\u003e100 m away within the jetty\u2019s well casing), and intermittent noises from tracked-vehicles and helicopters (September\u2013February), SCUBA divers (October\u2013December), and ships (January). Given hosting limitations, only every 6th file (roughly 10min/hour) has been archived here. Additional data can be obtained by contacting the primary author of the dataset, who will maintain it for as long as possible. Audio spectrogram images (PNGs) at three frequency ranges (three stacked panels per image, upper limits of 2.5, 25, and 256 kHz) from the entire dataset (all data, not subsampled) are also archived separately.", "east": 166.6645, "geometry": ["POINT(166.6645 -77.851)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Bioacoustics; Biota; Hydroacoustics; Killer Whales; Leptonychotes Weddellii; Mcmurdo Sound; Oceans; Orcinus Orca; Sea Ice; Weddell Seal; Whales", "locations": "Mcmurdo Sound; Antarctica", "north": -77.851, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Support", "persons": "Cziko, Paul", "project_titles": "Habitat Severity and Internal Ice in Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0010147", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "Habitat Severity and Internal Ice in Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.851, "title": "Long-term broadband underwater acoustic recordings from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019)", "uid": "601416", "west": 166.6645}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "date_created": "Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "For Figures 2 and 4 In Beltran et al. PNAS", "east": 165.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "keywords": "Animal Behavior Observation; Antarctica; Biota; Mcmurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Seal Dive Data; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Mcmurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Antarctica", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "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": -77.0, "title": "Seasonal Dive Data ", "uid": "601338", "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": "Ross Sea; Antarctica; Southern Ocean", "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": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((-180 -76,-177 -76,-174 -76,-171 -76,-168 -76,-165 -76,-162 -76,-159 -76,-156 -76,-153 -76,-150 -76,-150 -76.2,-150 -76.4,-150 -76.6,-150 -76.8,-150 -77,-150 -77.2,-150 -77.4,-150 -77.6,-150 -77.8,-150 -78,-153 -78,-156 -78,-159 -78,-162 -78,-165 -78,-168 -78,-171 -78,-174 -78,-177 -78,180 -78,178 -78,176 -78,174 -78,172 -78,170 -78,168 -78,166 -78,164 -78,162 -78,160 -78,160 -77.8,160 -77.6,160 -77.4,160 -77.2,160 -77,160 -76.8,160 -76.6,160 -76.4,160 -76.2,160 -76,162 -76,164 -76,166 -76,168 -76,170 -76,172 -76,174 -76,176 -76,178 -76,-180 -76))"], "date_created": "Thu, 08 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This dataset includes measurements of cortisol levels (pg/mg) extracted from Weddell Seal fur samples collected from adult females in colonies in the Erebus Bay region of Antarctica during 4 austral field seasons between November 2013 and February 2017. Observations recorded include body mass, body composition, reproductive status.", "east": 160.0, "geometry": ["POINT(-175 -77)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Cortisol; Fur; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Visual Observations; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Ross Sea; Antarctica; Southern Ocean", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "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": -78.0, "title": "Cortisol levels in Weddell seal fur ", "uid": "601134", "west": -150.0}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((164 -76,164.2 -76,164.4 -76,164.6 -76,164.8 -76,165 -76,165.2 -76,165.4 -76,165.6 -76,165.8 -76,166 -76,166 -76.2,166 -76.4,166 -76.6,166 -76.8,166 -77,166 -77.2,166 -77.4,166 -77.6,166 -77.8,166 -78,165.8 -78,165.6 -78,165.4 -78,165.2 -78,165 -78,164.8 -78,164.6 -78,164.4 -78,164.2 -78,164 -78,164 -77.8,164 -77.6,164 -77.4,164 -77.2,164 -77,164 -76.8,164 -76.6,164 -76.4,164 -76.2,164 -76))"], "date_created": "Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "All sightings of known, tagged, Weddell seals during molt seasons of Austral summers 2013, 14 15, and 2016. Seals that were sighted but for which molt status could not be determined are not included in this dataset. Seals without tags or IDs were not included. ", "east": 166.0, "geometry": ["POINT(165 -77)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Visual Observations; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Ross Sea; Antarctica", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "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": -78.0, "title": "Weddell Seal Molt Survey Data", "uid": "601133", "west": 164.0}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": null, "date_created": "Mon, 22 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Animals can respond to dynamic environments through phenological plasticity of life history events; however, changes in one part of the annual cycle can diminish the success of subsequent life history events. Our aims were to determine the associations between reproduction and moult phenology across years and to quantify phenological plasticity across varying environmental conditions. We conducted demographic surveys of 4,252 flipper-tagged Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica during four austral summers. At each sighting, seals were assigned a moult code based on the visible presence of new fur, and the start date of each animal\u2019s moult was back-calculated. This dataset contains data on pupping and moult timing for each animal used to address this question.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; B-292-M; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Weddell Seal", "locations": "Ross Sea; Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "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 Molt Phenology Dataset", "uid": "601131", "west": null}, {"awards": "1640481 Rotella, Jay; 1141326 Rotella, Jay", "bounds_geometry": ["POLYGON((162 -75,162.8 -75,163.6 -75,164.4 -75,165.2 -75,166 -75,166.8 -75,167.6 -75,168.4 -75,169.2 -75,170 -75,170 -75.38,170 -75.76,170 -76.14,170 -76.52,170 -76.9,170 -77.28,170 -77.66,170 -78.03999999999999,170 -78.42,170 -78.8,169.2 -78.8,168.4 -78.8,167.6 -78.8,166.8 -78.8,166 -78.8,165.2 -78.8,164.4 -78.8,163.6 -78.8,162.8 -78.8,162 -78.8,162 -78.42,162 -78.03999999999999,162 -77.66,162 -77.28,162 -76.9,162 -76.52,162 -76.14,162 -75.76,162 -75.38,162 -75))"], "date_created": "Tue, 02 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Access database contains information for 3 types of data on Weddell seals for the period 1969-2017. (1) Mark-recapture Data with 278,723 resighting records for 25,589 different individuals tagged in and around the McMurdo Sound area, as well as 740 records from 162 seals tagged at White Island; (2) Mass Dynamics Data contains 5,737 physical masses and 1,271 photographic records and measurements that include the date, ID number, sex, age class, weight (if successfully collected), and perspectives from which photographs were collected for each sampling occurrence; and (3) Research Procedures Data contains 1,005 records of handling and research procedures conducted on Erebus Bay Weddell seals by various research teams in recent years.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": ["POINT(166 -76.9)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Sea Ice", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "persons": "Rotella, Jay", "project_titles": "The Demographic Consequences of Environmental Variability and Individual Heterogeneity in Life-history Tactics of a Long-lived Antarctic Marine Predator", "projects": [{"proj_uid": "p0000299", "repository": "USAP-DC", "title": "The Demographic Consequences of Environmental Variability and Individual Heterogeneity in Life-history Tactics of a Long-lived Antarctic Marine Predator"}], "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.8, "title": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2017 Antarctic field season", "uid": "601125", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": ["POINT(166.55 -77.75)"], "date_created": "Wed, 24 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This dataset includes an inventory of Weddell Seals captured by net, tagged, and observed at colonies in the Erebus Bay region of Antarctica during 4 austral field seasons between November 2013 and February 2017. Observations recorded include body mass, length, and molt category.", "east": 166.55, "geometry": ["POINT(166.55 -77.75)"], "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Mcmurdo Sound; Oceans; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals", "locations": "Mcmurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Antarctica", "north": -77.75, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "persons": "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": -77.75, "title": "Specimen logs and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay, 2013-2017", "uid": "601027", "west": 166.55}, {"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": "Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "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": "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": "Ross Sea; Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "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": "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": "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": "Mcmurdo; Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "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": "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": "Sea Surface; Antarctica; 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}]

View results on map Help on results map