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Douglas Nowacek

Douglas Nowacek

Randolph K. Repass and Sally-Christine Rodgers University Distinguished Professor of Conservation Technology in Environment and Engineering
Marine Science and Conservation
doug.nowacek@duke.edu
Duke Univ Marine Lab, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516

Selected Publications

Recommendations for built marine infrastructure that supports natural habitats

Journal Article Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · August 1, 2025 The extent of built marine infrastructure—from energy infrastructure and ports to artificial reefs and aquaculture—is increasing globally. The rise in built structure coverage is concurrent with losses and degradation of many natural habitats. Although his ... Full text Cite

FROM WIND TO WHALES POTENTIAL HYDRODYNAMIC IMPACTS OF OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ON NANTUCKET SHOALS REGIONAL ECOLOGY

Journal Article Oceanography · June 1, 2025 The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a committee in June 2023 to assess the potential hydrodynamic and ecological impacts from offshore wind energy development in the Nantucket Shoals region, with particular attention to imp ... Full text Cite

Multiclass Steroid Profiling in Short-Finned Pilot Whale Blubber Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Journal Article Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM · March 2025 RationaleWildlife scientists are quantifying steroid hormones in a growing number of tissues and employing novel methods that must undergo validation before application. This study tested the accuracy and precision of liquid chromatography-tandem ... Full text Cite

Leveraging built marine structures to benefit and minimize impacts on natural habitats

Journal Article Bioscience · February 1, 2025 Many natural marine habitats are decreasing in extent despite global conservation and restoration efforts. In contrast, built marine structures, such as hardened shorelines, offshore energy and aquaculture infrastructure, and artificial reefs, are increasi ... Full text Cite

Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans.

Journal Article Marine pollution bulletin · December 2024 It is largely assumed that odontocetes voluntarily ingest plastic marine debris because they visually mistake it for prey. However, deep-diving whales do not rely on visual systems to forage and instead employ echolocation. Whether or not these whales misi ... Full text Open Access Cite

Passive acoustic surveys demonstrate high densities of sperm whales off the mid-Atlantic coast of the USA in winter and spring.

Journal Article Marine environmental research · October 2024 Oceans are increasingly crowded by anthropogenic activities yet the impact on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) marine life remains largely unquantified. The MAPS (Marine Mammal Acoustic and Spatial Ecology) study of 2019 included passive acoustic and visual v ... Full text Cite

Evidence of sociality and group foraging in Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

Journal Article Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · May 1, 2024 Top krill predators such as the Antarctic minke whale (AMW) serve a vital role within the fragile Antarctic sea-ice ecosystem. They are an abundant krill specialist, but their ecological role in the Antarctic remains poorly understood due to their cryptic ... Full text Cite

North Atlantic right whale density surface model for the US Atlantic evaluated with passive acoustic monitoring

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · March 20, 2024 The Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis entered a population decline around 2011. To save this species without closing the ocean to human activities requires detailed information about its intra-annual density patterns that ... Full text Cite

Aerobic dive limit in short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus: an assessment of behavioral criteria

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · January 1, 2024 Aerobic dive limits (ADLs) are a useful paradigm for assessing marine mammal diving ability. Given the allometry of total body oxygen stores and metabolic rate, larger animals should have increased diving capacities and thus elevated ADLs. The short-finned ... Full text Cite

Trade-offs in telemetry tag programming for deep-diving cetaceans: data longevity, resolution, and continuity

Journal Article Animal Biotelemetry · December 1, 2023 Background: Animal-borne telemetry instruments (tags) have greatly advanced our understanding of species that are challenging to observe. Recently, non-recoverable instruments attached to cetaceans have increased in use, but these devices have limitations ... Full text Cite

Cyclical prey shortages for a marine polar predator driven by the interaction of climate change and natural climate variability

Journal Article Limnology and Oceanography · December 1, 2023 Between 1992 and 2018, the breeding population of Adélie penguins around Anvers Island, Antarctica declined by 98%. In this region, natural climate variability drives five-year cycling in marine phytoplankton productivity, leading to phase-offset five-year ... Full text Cite

Data collection and analysis methods to evaluate potential impacts of seismic surveys and other marine industrial activities on baleen whales

Journal Article Ocean and Coastal Management · November 1, 2023 Offshore surveying from seismic airgun arrays and other intense types of industrial development introduce substantial underwater noise, with potentially serious consequences for marine life. We describe an adaptive spectrum of data collection and analytica ... Full text Cite

Microplastics in marine mammal blubber, melon, & other tissues: Evidence of translocation.

Journal Article Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · October 2023 Marine mammals consume large quantities of microplastic particles, likely via trophic transfer (i.e., through prey who have consumed plastic) and direct consumption from seawater or sediment. Microplastics have been found in the stomachs, gastro-intestinal ... Full text Cite

Acoustic density estimates of beaked whales off the mid-Atlantic coast of the USA in winter and spring

Journal Article Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers · September 1, 2023 Increasing amounts of noise have been introduced into the marine environment by commercial, military and recreational activities over recent decades. Ziphiids (beaked whales in the Family Ziphiidae) are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic noise, which ... Full text Cite

A surplus no more? Variation in krill availability impacts reproductive rates of Antarctic baleen whales.

Journal Article Global change biology · April 2023 The krill surplus hypothesis of unlimited prey resources available for Antarctic predators due to commercial whaling in the 20th century has remained largely untested since the 1970s. Rapid warming of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) over the past 50  ... Full text Cite

Demography of an ice-obligate mysticete in a region of rapid environmental change.

Journal Article Royal Society open science · November 2022 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis, AMW) are an abundant, ice-dependent species susceptible to rapid climatic changes occurring in parts of the Antarctic. Here, we used remote biopsy samples and estimates of length derived from unoccup ... Full text Cite

Short-finned pilot whales exhibit behavioral plasticity in foraging strategies mediated by their environment

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · August 25, 2022 Predators adapt their foraging behavior to exploit a variety of prey in a range of environments. Short-finned pilot whales are wide-ranging predators in tropical and sub-tropical oceans, but most previous studies of their foraging ecology have been conduct ... Full text Cite

Intra-seasonal variation in feeding rates and diel foraging behaviour in a seasonally fasting mammal, the humpback whale.

Journal Article Royal Society open science · July 2022 Antarctic humpback whales forage in summer, coincident with the seasonal abundance of their primary prey, the Antarctic krill. During the feeding season, humpback whales accumulate energy stores sufficient to fuel their fasting period lasting over six mont ... Full text Cite

Acoustic signalling and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).

Journal Article Royal Society open science · July 2022 Acoustic signalling is the predominant form of communication among cetaceans. Understanding the behavioural state of calling individuals can provide insights into the specific function of sound production; in turn, this information can aid the evaluation o ... Full text Cite

Scaling of maneuvering performance in baleen whales: larger whales outperform expectations.

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · March 2022 Despite their enormous size, whales make their living as voracious predators. To catch their much smaller, more maneuverable prey, they have developed several unique locomotor strategies that require high energetic input, high mechanical power output and a ... Full text Cite

A sea of possibilities for marine megafauna.

Journal Article Science (New York, N.Y.) · January 2022 Full text Cite

A Stampede of Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) Following Playbacks of the Calls of Mammal-Eating Killer Whales

Journal Article Aquatic Mammals · January 1, 2022 During our respective careers, we have been fortunate to witness some dramatic observations of animal behavior in the field, but it can be difficult to portray the intensity of these events with the sterile prose we typically employ in scientific manuscrip ... Full text Open Access Cite

First description of migratory behavior of humpback whales from an Antarctic feeding ground to a tropical calving ground

Journal Article Animal Biotelemetry · December 1, 2021 Background: Despite exhibiting one of the longest migrations in the world, half of the humpback whale migratory cycle has remained unexamined. Until now, no study has provided a continuous description of humpback whale migratory behavior from a feeding gro ... Full text Cite

Baleen whale prey consumption based on high-resolution foraging measurements.

Journal Article Nature · November 2021 Baleen whales influence their ecosystems through immense prey consumption and nutrient recycling1-3. It is difficult to accurately gauge the magnitude of their current or historic ecosystem role without measuring feeding rates and prey consumed. ... Full text Cite

Scaling of heart rate with breathing frequency and body mass in cetaceans.

Journal Article Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · August 2021 Plasticity in the cardiac function of a marine mammal facilitates rapid adjustments to the contrasting metabolic demands of breathing at the surface and diving during an extended apnea. By matching their heart rate (fH) to their immediate ... Full text Cite

Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2021 Studies of the social behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) are challenging because of their deep-water habitat usually far from shore and the limited time they spend at the surface. The sociality of these deepest diving mammals is of in ... Full text Cite

Computational fluid dynamics of flow regime and hydrodynamic forces generated by a gliding North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2021 Accurate estimates of drag on marine animals are required to investigate the locomotive cost, propulsive efficiency, and the impacts of entanglement if the animal is carrying fishing gear. In this study, we performed computational fluid dynamics analysis o ... Full text Cite

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and submersion bradycardia in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · January 2021 Among the many factors that influence the cardiovascular adjustments of marine mammals is the act of respiration at the surface, which facilitates rapid gas exchange and tissue re-perfusion between dives. We measured heart rate (fH) in si ... Full text Cite

An integrated comparative physiology and molecular approach pinpoints mediators of breath-hold capacity in dolphins

Journal Article · 2021 Ischemic events, such as ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke, are the number one cause of death globally. Ischemia prevents blood, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen, from reaching tissues and organ systems, leading to cell and tissue death, an ... Full text Cite

Sympatry and resource partitioning between the largest krill consumers around the Antarctic Peninsula

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · January 1, 2021 Understanding how closely related, sympatric species distribute themselves relative to their environment is critical to understanding ecosystem structure and function and predicting effects of environmental variation. The Antarctic Peninsula supports high ... Full text Open Access Cite

Dive behavior of North Atlantic right whales on the calving ground in the Southeast USA: Implications for conservation

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2021 The North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis is a Critically Endangered whale whose habitat overlaps with areas of high human use. On feeding grounds, aspects of its behavior increase the vulnerability of this species to anthropogenic threats such as ... Full text Cite

An integrated comparative physiology and molecular approach pinpoints mediators of breath-hold capacity in dolphins.

Journal Article Evol Med Public Health · 2021 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ischemic events, such as ischemic heart disease and stroke, are the number one cause of death globally. Ischemia prevents blood, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen, from reaching tissues, leading to cell and tissue death, an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Soundscapes of natural and artificial temperate reefs: similar temporal patterns but distinct spectral content

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · September 10, 2020 Marine soundscapes often differ among habitats; however, relatively little is known about whether soundscapes on naturally occurring habitats differ from soundscapes on human-made structures. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated whether temporal ... Full text Cite

Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data.

Journal Article Global change biology · September 2020 Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine ma ... Full text Cite

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and submersion bradycardia in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · January 2020 Among the many factors that influence the cardiovascular adjustments of marine mammals is the act of respiration at the surface, which facilitates rapid gas exchange and tissue re-perfusion between dives. We measured heart rate (fH) in six, adult male bott ... Full text Cite

Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants.

Journal Article Science (New York, N.Y.) · December 2019 The largest animals are marine filter feeders, but the underlying mechanism of their large size remains unexplained. We measured feeding performance and prey quality to demonstrate how whale gigantism is driven by the interplay of prey abundance and harves ... Full text Cite

Acoustic crypsis in communication by North Atlantic right whale mother-calf pairs on the calving grounds.

Journal Article Biology letters · October 2019 Mammals with dependent young often rely on cryptic behaviour to avoid detection by potential predators. In the mysticetes, large baleen whales, young calves are known to be vulnerable to direct predation from both shark and orca predators; therefore, it is ... Full text Cite

Simulation of the entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) with fixed fishing gear

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2019 Population estimates of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) put the number of individuals at 458 with the actual number likely being lower due to a recent unusual mortality event. Entanglement with fixed fishing gear ... Full text Cite

Foraging rates of ram-filtering North Atlantic right whales

Journal Article Functional Ecology · July 1, 2019 North Atlantic right whales spend their summer months foraging primarily in American and Canadian Atlantic waters on high-energy-density prey. Here, they rapidly accumulate and store energy obtained within a few months to support future migrations and repr ... Full text Cite

North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) acoustic behavior on the calving grounds.

Journal Article The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · July 2019 Passive acoustic monitoring is a common method for detection of endangered North Atlantic right whales. This study reports on the acoustic behavior of right whales on the winter calving grounds to assess their acoustic detectability in this habitat. In add ... Full text Cite

Acoustic Signatures of Left Ventricular Assist Device Thrombosis.

Journal Article J Eng Sci Med Diagn Ther · May 2019 Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are life-saving, surgically implanted mechanical heart pumps used to treat patients with advanced heart failure (HF). While life-saving, LVAD support is associated with a high incidence of complications, making early ... Full text Link to item Cite

Soundscape of an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) hotspot before windfarm construction in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Do dolphin engage in noise avoidance and passive eavesdropping behavior?

Journal Article Marine pollution bulletin · March 2019 Soundscapes are vital to acoustically specialized animals. Using passive acoustic monitoring data, the temporal and spectral variations in the soundscape of a Chinese white dolphin hotspot were analyzed. By cluster analysis, the 1/3 octave band power spect ... Full text Cite

Marine mammal noise exposure criteria: Updated scientific recommendations for residual hearing effects

Journal Article Aquatic Mammals · January 1, 2019 This article evaluates Southall et al. (2007) in light of subsequent scientific findings and proposes revised noise exposure criteria to predict the onset of auditory effects in marine mammals. Estimated audiograms, weighting functions, and underwater nois ... Full text Cite

Critical information gaps remain in understanding impacts of industrial seismic surveys on marine vertebrates

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2019 Anthropogenic noise is increasing throughout the world's oceans. One major contributor is industrial seismic surveys-a process typically undertaken to locate and estimate the quantity of oil and gas deposits beneath the seafloor-which, in recent years, has ... Full text Open Access Cite

Accounting for positional uncertainty when modeling received levels for tagged cetaceans exposed to sonar

Journal Article Aquatic Mammals · January 1, 2019 Exposure to anthropogenic sound can have a range of negative behavioral and physical effects on marine species and is of increasing ecological and regulatory concern. In particular, the response of marine mammals, and notably the family of cryptic deep-div ... Full text Cite

Best practice guidelines for cetacean tagging

Journal Article Journal of Cetacean Research and Management · January 1, 2019 Animal-borne electronic instruments (tags) are valuable tools for collecting information on cetacean physiology, behaviour and ecology, and for enhancing conservation and management policies for cetacean populations. Tags allow researchers to track the mov ... Full text Cite

Manatee behavioral response to boats

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · October 1, 2018 The long-term viability of the Florida manatee is threatened in part by mortality from boat collisions. This study investigated manatee behavior during boat approaches to better understand factors that lead to manatee–boat collisions. Digital acoustic reco ... Full text Cite

Selective reactions to different killer whale call categories in two delphinid species.

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · June 2018 The risk of predation is often invoked as an important factor influencing the evolution of social organization in cetaceans, but little direct information is available about how these aquatic mammals respond to predators or other perceived threats. We used ... Full text Cite

High pregnancy rates in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) around the Western Antarctic Peninsula, evidence of a rapidly growing population.

Journal Article Royal Society open science · May 2018 Antarctic humpback whales are recovering from near extirpation from commercial whaling. To understand the dynamics of this recovery and establish a baseline to monitor impacts of a rapidly changing environment, we investigated sex ratios and pregnancy rate ... Full text Cite

A lifetime of changing calls: North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, refine call production as they age

Journal Article Animal Behaviour · March 1, 2018 The trajectory of development and refinement of communication signals closely map physical and social development in many vertebrate species. Although marine mammals exhibit highly complex and diverse communication signals, asking similar questions about s ... Full text Cite

Spatial and seasonal patterns in acoustic detections of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus along the continental slope in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2018 The distribution and seasonal movements of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus are poorly understood in the western North Atlantic Ocean, despite a long history of human exploitation of the species. Cetacean surveys in this region are typically conducted d ... Full text Cite

Body density of humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in feeding aggregations estimated from hydrodynamic gliding performance.

Journal Article PloS one · January 2018 Many baleen whales undertake annual fasting and feeding cycles, resulting in substantial changes in their body condition, an important factor affecting fitness. As a measure of lipid-store body condition, tissue density of a few deep diving marine mammals ... Full text Cite

Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014.

Journal Article Scientific reports · October 2017 Given new distribution patterns of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) population in recent years, an improved understanding of spatio-temporal movements are imperative for the conservation of this species. While so far vi ... Full text Cite

Niche differentiation and prey selectivity among common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Sighted in St. George Sound, Gulf of Mexico

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · July 26, 2017 Two groups of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have been identified within St. George Sound, Florida, USA: high site-fidelity individuals (HSF) which are individuals sighted multiple times in the region (i.e., ≥2 months, ≥2 seasons, and ≥2 y ... Full text Cite

Novel bio-logging tool for studying fine-scale behaviors of marine turtles in response to sound

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · July 14, 2017 Increases in the spatial scale and intensity of activities that produce marine anthropogenic sound highlight the importance of understanding the impacts and effects of sound on threatened species such as marine turtles. Marine turtles detect and behavioral ... Full text Cite

The roar of the lionfishes Pterois volitans and Pterois miles.

Journal Article Journal of fish biology · June 2017 Through the analysis of acoustic recordings of captive Pterois spp., this study has confirmed anecdotal evidence that Pterois spp. are soniferous. This report of sound production in Pterois spp. provides the foundation for future research into their specif ... Full text Open Access Cite

Seismic survey noise disrupted fish use of a temperate reef

Journal Article Marine Policy · April 1, 2017 Marine seismic surveying discerns subsurface seafloor geology, indicative of, for example, petroleum deposits, by emitting high-intensity, low-frequency impulsive sounds. Impacts on fish are uncertain. Opportunistic monitoring of acoustic signatures from a ... Full text Cite

Swimming kinematics and efficiency of entangled North Atlantic right whales

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2017 Marine mammals are streamlined for efficient movement in their relatively viscous fluid environment and are able to alter their kinematics (i.e. fluke stroke frequency, amplitude, or both) in response to changes in force balance. Entanglement in fishing ge ... Full text Cite

Effects of a scientific echo sounder on the behavior of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus)

Journal Article Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences · January 1, 2017 Active echo sounding devices are often employed for commercial or scientific purposes in the foraging habitats of marine mammals. We conducted an experiment off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA, to assess whether the behavior of short-finned pilot whales ... Full text Cite

Making sure the blue economy is green.

Journal Article Nature ecology & evolution · January 2017 Full text Cite

Diversity of fish sound types in the Pearl River Estuary, China.

Journal Article PeerJ · January 2017 BackgroundRepetitive species-specific sound enables the identification of the presence and behavior of soniferous species by acoustic means. Passive acoustic monitoring has been widely applied to monitor the spatial and temporal occurrence and beh ... Full text Cite

Using passive acoustic monitoring to document the distribution of beaked whale species in the western north atlantic ocean

Journal Article Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences · January 1, 2017 Little is known about the ecology of many beaked whale species, despite concerns raised by mass strandings linked to certain sources of anthropogenic noise. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring to examine spatial and temporal patterns in beaked whale ... Full text Open Access Cite

Intrinsic structure study of whale vocalizations

Conference Oceans 2016 Mts IEEE Monterey Oce 2016 · November 28, 2016 Whale vocalizations can be modeled as polynomial-phase signals, which are widely used in radar and sonar applications. Such signals lie on a nonlinear manifold parameterized by polynomial phase coefficients. In this paper, we apply manifold learning method ... Full text Cite

Studying cetacean behaviour: new technological approaches and conservation applications

Journal Article Animal Behaviour · October 1, 2016 Animal behaviour can provide valuable information for wildlife management and conservation. Studying the detailed behaviour of marine mammals involves challenges not faced by most animal behaviour researchers due to the size, mobility and lack of continuou ... Full text Cite

Effects of duty-cycled passive acoustic recordings on detecting the presence of beaked whales in the northwest Atlantic.

Journal Article The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · July 2016 This study investigated the effects of using duty-cycled passive acoustic recordings to monitor the daily presence of beaked whale species at three locations in the northwest Atlantic. Continuous acoustic records were subsampled to simulate duty cycles of ... Full text Cite

Does optimal foraging theory predict the foraging performance of a large air-breathing marine predator?

Journal Article Animal Behaviour · June 1, 2016 Optimal foraging theory (OFT) suggests that air-breathing diving animals should minimize costs associated with feeding under water (e.g. travel time, oxygen loss) while simultaneously maximizing benefits gained from doing so (e.g. foraging time, energy gai ... Full text Cite

Multiple-stage decisions in a marine central-place forager.

Journal Article Royal Society open science · May 2016 Air-breathing marine animals face a complex set of physical challenges associated with diving that affect the decisions of how to optimize feeding. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) have evolved bulk-filter feeding mechanisms to efficiently feed on dense prey patc ... Full text Cite

Dissipation processes in the Tongue of the Ocean

Journal Article Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans · May 1, 2016 The Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) region located within the Bahamas archipelago is a relatively understudied region in terms of both its biological and physical oceanographic characteristics. A prey-field mapping cruise took place in the fall between 15 Septe ... Full text Cite

Recent scientific publications cast doubt on north atlantic right whale future

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · January 1, 2016 Full text Cite

Experimental field studies to measure behavioral responses of cetaceans to sonar

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2016 Substantial recent progress has been made in directly measuring behavioral re - sponses of free-ranging marine mammals to sound using controlled exposure experiments. Many studies were motivated by concerns about observed and potential negative effects of ... Full text Cite

An Ocean Sensor for Measuring the Seawater Electrochemical Response of 8 Metals Referenced to Zinc, for Determining Ocean pH.

Conference Sensing Technology (ICST), 2015 Ninth International Conference on · December 10, 2015 We describe the use of a multi-metal electrochemical cell for measuring ocean pH. The sensor was designed to be robust, inexpensive, and capable of 0.02 sensitivity to pH in the narrow ranges required for marine pH monitoring. A prototype sensor has underg ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Marine seismic surveys and ocean noise: Time for coordinated and prudent planning

Journal Article Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · September 1, 2015 Marine seismic surveys use intense (eg ≥ 230 decibel [dB] root mean square [RMS]) sound impulses to explore the ocean bottom for hydrocarbon deposits, conduct geophysical research, and establish resource claims under the United Nations Convention on the La ... Full text Cite

Morphology of the Nasal Apparatus in Pygmy (Kogia Breviceps) and Dwarf (K. Sima) Sperm Whales.

Journal Article Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · July 2015 Odontocete echolocation clicks are generated by pneumatically driven phonic lips within the nasal passage, and propagated through specialized structures within the forehead. This study investigated the highly derived echolocation structures of the pygmy (K ... Full text Cite

Seismic surveys and marine wildlife: Ideas for managing real and perceived impacts

Conference Seg Technical Program Expanded Abstracts · January 1, 2015 Sufficient scientific data exist to conclude that seismic airguns used in geophysical exploration have a low probability of directly harming most marine life, except at close range where physical injury is a real danger. While the use of airguns in some co ... Full text Cite

Feeding rates and under-ice foraging strategies of the smallest lunge filter feeder, the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · August 2014 Body size and feeding mode are two fundamental characteristics that determine foraging performance and ecological niche. As the smallest obligate lunge filter feeders, minke whales represent an ideal system for studying the physical and energetic limits of ... Full text Cite

An evaluation of lipid extraction techniques for interpretation of carbon and nitrogen isotope values in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin tissue

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · January 1, 2014 We studied the effects of two common chemical extraction techniques on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin tissues with the intent to develop a mathematical lipid correction for dolphin skin δ13C. One method employs a hot solvent mixtur ... Full text Cite

Effects of body condition on buoyancy in endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Journal Article Physiological and biochemical zoology : PBZ · January 2014 Buoyancy is an important consideration for diving marine animals, resulting in specific ecologically relevant adaptations. Marine mammals use blubber as an energy reserve, but because this tissue is also positively buoyant, nutritional demands have the pot ... Full text Cite

Mysterious bio-duck sound attributed to the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).

Journal Article Biology letters · January 2014 For decades, the bio-duck sound has been recorded in the Southern Ocean, but the animal producing it has remained a mystery. Heard mainly during austral winter in the Southern Ocean, this ubiquitous sound has been recorded in Antarctic waters and contempor ... Full text Cite

Abundance and site fidelity of bottlenose dolphins in coastal waters near Panama City, Florida

Journal Article Journal of Cetacean Research and Management · January 1, 2014 Dolphin watching and swim-with programmes are popular tourist attractions in Panama City, Florida, USA. Despite this, little is known about the population of dolphins that utilise this area, specifically St. Andrew Bay. To learn more about this population, ... Cite

Extreme diel variation in the feeding behavior of humpback whales along the western Antarctic Peninsula during autumn

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · December 4, 2013 ABSTRACT: Most humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae populations partition their time between prey-rich feeding and prey-deficient breeding/calving regions. How these whales feed and optimize the consumption of prey resources prior to long-distance migrati ... Full text Cite

Responsible practices for minimizing and monitoring environmental impacts of marine seismic surveys with an emphasis on marine mammals

Journal Article Aquatic Mammals · December 1, 2013 Marine seismic surveys, which use loud, primarily low-frequency sound to penetrate the sea floor, are known to disturb and could harm marine life. The use of these surveys for conventional and alternative offshore energy development as well as research is ... Full text Cite

Stable isotope variation in the northern Gulf of Mexico constrains bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) foraging ranges

Journal Article Marine Biology · November 1, 2013 Site-specific differences were found in consumer isotope values among ten sites examined in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Average δ13C values among sites ranged -21.7 to -15.7 ‰, δ15N ranged <3 ‰: from 9.8 to 11.5 ‰, and δ34 ... Full text Cite

Responses of bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) to construction and demolition of coastal marine structures

Journal Article Aquatic Mammals · July 23, 2013 Construction and demolition activities are com-monplace in offshore and coastal waters, in habitats that are important feeding and breeding grounds for marine mammals. In Sarasota Bay, Florida, the construction of a large fixed-span bridge was com-pleted i ... Full text Cite

Integrative approaches to the study of baleen whale diving behavior, feeding performance, and foraging ecology

Journal Article Bioscience · February 1, 2013 For many marine organisms, especially large whales that cannot be studied in laboratory settings, our ability to obtain basic behavioral and physiological data is limited, because these organisms occupy offshore habitats and spend a majority of their time ... Full text Cite

Initial density estimates of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the inshore waters of the western Antarctic Peninsula during the late autumn

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · August 20, 2012 In the Southern Ocean, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae were depleted by commercial whaling operations during the 20th century, but many populations now appear to be recovering. Previous surveys of whale distribution along the western Antarctic Penin ... Full text Cite

Synchronous mother and calf foraging behaviour in humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae: Insights from multi-sensor suction cup tags

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · June 21, 2012 Previously, all inferences regarding fine-scale baleen whale mother-calf relationships have come from surface observations, aerial surveys, or underwater video recordings. On May 19, 2010, we attached high-resolution digital acoustic recording tags (Dtags) ... Full text Cite

Evidence that ship noise increases stress in right whales.

Journal Article Proceedings. Biological sciences · June 2012 Baleen whales (Mysticeti) communicate using low-frequency acoustic signals. These long-wavelength sounds can be detected over hundreds of kilometres, potentially allowing contact over large distances. Low-frequency noise from large ships (20-200 Hz) overla ... Full text Cite

Spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inferred from stable isotopes and priority organic pollutants.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · May 2012 Differences in priority organic pollutants (POPs), analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and stable isotope ratios (δ(13)C, δ(34)S, and δ(15)N; analyzed by isotope ratio-mass spectrometry), divide 77 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) fro ... Full text Cite

Austral fall-winter transition of mesozooplankton assemblages and krill aggregations in an embayment west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · April 25, 2012 To assess krill aggregations and humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae foraging behavior, spatial and temporal relationships between Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and zooplankton taxonomic groups were studied during an interdisciplinary cruise conducte ... Full text Cite

Behavioral responses of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) to experimental fishing gear in a coastal environment

Journal Article Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology · February 10, 2012 Whale entanglement in fishing gear is a global problem, and underwater ropes associated with this gear are often the cause of injuries that can lead to fatalities. Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are especially at risk because they are relatively ... Full text Cite

Changes in distribution, relative abundance, and species composition of large whales around South Georgia from opportunistic sightings: 1992 to 2011

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 1, 2012 To examine the general population trends of large whales in South Georgia waters, 2 opportunistic data sets of sightings of large whales from 1991 to 2010 around South Georgia were analyzed: the South Georgia Museum log of whale sightings and the British A ... Full text Cite

Humpback whale song and foraging behavior on an antarctic feeding ground.

Journal Article PloS one · January 2012 Reports of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) song chorusing occurring outside the breeding grounds are becoming more common, but song structure and underwater behavior of individual singers on feeding grounds and migration routes remain unknown. Here ... Full text Cite

Changes in vocal behavior of North Atlantic right whales in increased noise.

Journal Article Advances in experimental medicine and biology · January 2012 Full text Cite

Sound production behavior of individual North Atlantic right whales: Implications for passive acoustic monitoring

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · December 13, 2011 Passive acoustic monitoring is being used to detect vocalizing marine mammals. Data on call types and individual rates of sound production are necessary to use passive acoustics to identify species, assess individual detectability, and estimate the number ... Full text Cite

Community structure and abundance of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in coastal waters of the northeast Gulf of Mexico

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · October 5, 2011 We examined bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus community structure and abundance in the northeast Gulf of Mexico coastal waters stretching from St. Vincent Sound to Alligator Harbor, Florida, USA. Photographic-identification surveys were conducted betwe ... Full text Cite

Shallow and deep lunge feeding of humpback whales in fjords of the West Antarctic Peninsula

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2011 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belong to the class of marine mammals known as rorquals that feed through extraordinarily energetic lunges during which they engulf large volumes of water equal to as much as 70% of their body mass. To understand th ... Full text Cite

Bottlenose dolphins as indicators of persistent organic pollutants in the western North Atlantic Ocean and northern Gulf of Mexico.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · May 2011 Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including legacy POPs (PCBs, chlordanes, mirex, DDTs, HCB, and dieldrin) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants were determined in 300 blubber biopsy samples from coastal and near shore/estuarine male ... Full text Cite

Super-aggregations of krill and humpback whales in Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctic Peninsula.

Journal Article PloS one · April 2011 Ecological relationships of krill and whales have not been explored in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), and have only rarely been studied elsewhere in the Southern Ocean. In the austral autumn we observed an extremely high density (5.1 whales per km( ... Full text Cite

The relationship among oceanography, prey fields, and beaked whale foraging habitat in the Tongue of the Ocean.

Journal Article PloS one · April 2011 Beaked whales, specifically Blainville's (Mesoplodon densirostris) and Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris), are known to feed in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. These whales can be reliably detected and often localized within the Atlantic Undersea Test and Ev ... Full text Cite

Individual right whales call louder in increased environmental noise.

Journal Article Biology letters · February 2011 The ability to modify vocalizations to compensate for environmental noise is critical for successful communication in a dynamic acoustic environment. Many marine species rely on sound for vital life functions including communication, navigation and feeding ... Full text Cite

Return movement of a humpback whale between the Antarctic Peninsula and American Samoa: A seasonal migration record

Journal Article Endangered Species Research · January 31, 2011 Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae are seasonal migrants that mate and calve at low latitudes and feed at mid-to high latitudes. Connections between most Southern Hemisphere breeding and feeding areas are not well understood, but are critical for asses ... Full text Cite

Concentration-dependent Stable Isotope Analysis of Consumers in the Upper Reaches of a Freshwater-dominated Estuary: Apalachicola Bay, FL, USA

Journal Article Estuaries and Coasts · May 18, 2010 The goals of this study were to quantify organic matter source utilization by consumers in the freshwater-dominated region (East Bay) of a high river flow estuary and compare the results to consumers in marine-influenced sites of the same estuary to unders ... Full text Cite

Acoustics in marine ecology: Innovation in technology expands the use of sound in ocean science

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · December 1, 2009 This Theme Section provides an overview of the increasing importance of acoustics in understanding marine ecosystems, and of the scientific and management drivers behind recent development and implementation of acoustic technologies. We focus on 3 issues, ... Full text Cite

Diel changes in humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding behavior in response to sand lance Ammodytes spp. behavior and distribution

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · December 1, 2009 Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae have adopted unique feeding strategies to take advantage of behavioral changes in their prey. However, logistical constraints have largely limited ecological analyses of these interactions. Our objectives were to (1) ... Full text Cite

Isotopic variation (δ15N, δ13C, and δ34S) with body size in post-larval estuarine consumers

Journal Article Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science · July 10, 2009 Stable isotope analyses were conducted on fish and crabs in Apalachicola Bay, Florida (USA) to determine whether δ15N values are correlated with length within these species. Our objective was to define the smallest trophic unit of the system as ... Full text Cite

Determination of steroid hormones in whale blow: It is possible

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2009 The feasibility of using analysis of hormone content of whale blow samples to assess reproductive function is addressed. A suitable collection method and analytical technique using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has been developed. Blow sa ... Full text Cite

Combining organic matter source and relative trophic position Determinations to Explore trophic structure

Journal Article Estuaries and Coasts · June 24, 2009 Stable isotope ratios of carbon and sulfur were used to assess organic matter utilization of numerically abundant consumers present in Apalachicola Bay, FL, USA. These results were used to infer nitrogen isotopic enrichment of organic matter sources in an ... Full text Cite

Hunting cetaceans with sound: A worldwide review

Journal Article Journal of Cetacean Research and Management · June 1, 2008 Cetaceans are sensitive to a variety of anthropogenic sounds because they normally use sound to navigate, communicate and capture prey. This paper reviews some fisheries that have taken advantage of this sensitivity by using sound to help capture numerous ... Cite

Seasonal abundance and distribution patterns of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) near St. Joseph Bay, Florida, USA

Journal Article Journal of Cetacean Research and Management · January 1, 2008 Three unusual mortalities events involving bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus Montagu 1821) occurred along Florida's northern Gulf of Mexico coast between 1999 and 2006. The causes of these events, in which over 300 bottlenose dolphins are known to ha ... Full text Cite

Passive azimuth localization of dolphin whistles using acoustically small sensors

Journal Article Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics · December 1, 2007 Cite

Nonlinear phenomena in the vocalizations of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and killer whales (Orcinus orca).

Journal Article The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · September 2007 Nonlinear phenomena or nonlinearities in animal vocalizations include features such as subharmonics, deterministic chaos, biphonation, and frequency jumps that until recently were generally ignored in acoustic analyses. Recent documentation of these phenom ... Full text Cite

CT scans and 3D reconstructions of Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) heads and ear bones.

Journal Article Hearing research · June 2007 The auditory anatomy of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) was investigated using computerized tomography (CT), three-dimensional reconstructions, and traditional dissection of heads removed during necropsy. The densities (kg/m3) of the s ... Full text Cite

Responses of cetaceans to anthropogenic noise

Journal Article Mammal Review · January 1, 2007 1. Since the last thorough review of the effects of anthropogenic noise on cetaceans in 1995, a substantial number of research reports has been published and our ability to document response(s), or the lack thereof, has improved. While rigorous measurement ... Full text Cite

Azimuth localization in pod-track - A passive acoustic monitoring system for wild dolphins

Journal Article Oceans 2007 Europe · January 1, 2007 Pod-Track is aimed at detecting, tracking and possibly identifying individual wild dolphins from their whistles. It is based on an array of hydrophones that provides enhanced detection range and localization accuracy compared with a single hydrophone, but ... Full text Cite

Dolphin foraging sounds suppress calling and elevate stress hormone levels in a prey species, the Gulf toadfish.

Journal Article The Journal of experimental biology · November 2006 The passive listening hypothesis proposes that dolphins and whales detect acoustic signals emitted by prey, including sound-producing (soniferous) fishes. Previous work showed that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) behaviorally orient toward the sou ... Full text Cite

Does the marine biosphere mix the ocean?

Journal Article Journal of Marine Research · July 1, 2006 Ocean mixing is thought to control the climatically important oceanic overturning circulation. Here we argue the marine biosphere, by a mechanism like the bioturbation occurring in marine sediments, mixes the oceans as effectively as the winds and tides. T ... Full text Cite

Nonlinear dynamics in manatee vocalizations

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · July 1, 2006 Full text Cite

Bilateral action for right whales - Reply

Journal Article SCIENCE · December 9, 2005 Link to item Cite

Bilateral action for right whales.

Journal Article Science (New York, N.Y.) · December 2005 Full text Cite

North Atlantic right whales in crisis

Journal Article Science · 2005 Cite

Prey detection by bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: An experimental test of the passive listening hypothesis

Journal Article Animal Behaviour · January 1, 2005 Bottlenose dolphins possess a sophisticated echolocation system, but evidence suggests that they use this sensory modality sparingly in the wild. Several authors have noted that soniferous fish are prevalent in the diet of bottlenose dolphins, leading to t ... Full text Cite

Acoustic ecology of foraging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), habitat-specific use of three sound types

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · January 1, 2005 The function(s) of a particular sound can be explored in detail only if the context of its use is well understood. The behavior of the signaler, and the habitat in which that behavior is observed, are two of the most important components of understanding c ... Full text Cite

Resonance and dissonance: Science, ethics, and the sonar debate

Journal Article MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE · October 2004 Cite

Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris, respond to approaching vessels

Journal Article Biological Conservation · October 1, 2004 Florida manatees inhabit shallow coastal and estuarine waters of the southeast US, a range that brings them into frequent contact with vessels. More than 30% of documented annual mortalities are attributed to vessel collisions, and most living animals bear ... Full text Cite

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) ignore ships but respond to alerting stimuli.

Journal Article Proceedings. Biological sciences · February 2004 North Atlantic right whales were extensively hunted during the whaling era and have not recovered. One of the primary factors inhibiting their recovery is anthropogenic mortality caused by ship strikes. To assess risk factors involved in ship strikes, we u ... Full text Cite

High performance turning capabilities during foraging by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · January 1, 2004 Large predators should have difficulty catching small prey because small animals demonstrate greater maneuverability and agility compared to large animals. The ability of a predator to capture small prey indicates locomotor strategies to compensate for ine ... Full text Cite

Intraspecific and geographic variation of West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus spp.) vocalizations.

Journal Article The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · July 2003 Full text Cite

High performance turning capabilities during foraging by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Journal Article INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY · December 2002 Cite

Sequential foraging behaviour of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, FL

Journal Article BEHAVIOUR · September 2002 Detailed analyses of dolphin foraging behaviour have typically been difficult due to researchers' inability to observe entire foraging sequences. Using a new observational tool I was able to observe sequences of behaviours leading to successful prey captur ... Cite

Cardiac responses to acoustic playback experiments in the captive bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Journal Article Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) · September 2001 Acoustic recordings were used to investigate the cardiac responses of a captive dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to sound playback stimuli. A suction-cup hydrophone placed on the ventral midline of the dolphin produced a continuous heartbeat signal while the d ... Full text Cite

Buoyant balaenids: the ups and downs of buoyancy in right whales.

Journal Article Proceedings. Biological sciences · September 2001 A variety of marine mammal species have been shown to conserve energy by using negative buoyancy to power prolonged descent glides during dives. A new non-invasive tag attached to North Atlantic right whales recorded swim stroke from changes in pitch angle ... Full text Cite

Distribution of recreational boating across lakes: do landscape variables affect recreational use?

Journal Article Freshwater Biology · March 2000 1. Because people impact lake ecosystems, it is important to consider factors influencing the human use of freshwater resources. We investigated the influence of the landscape position, as well as lake area, recreational facilities, and distance to ... Full text Cite

Aerial videogrammetry from a tethered airship to assess manatee life-stage structure

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · January 1, 2000 Aerial videogrammetry from an airship tethered to a boat was used to assess the life-stage structure of manatees in the Blue Waters area of the Homosassa River on the west coast of central Florida. Individual frames of videos were loaded onto a computer an ... Full text Cite

Seasonal changes in vocalization during behavior of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin

Journal Article Estuaries · January 1, 1993 Four vocalizations (whistles, buzzes, quacks, and pops) were quantified during three behavioral categories (socializing, traveling, and feeding) of the bottlenose dolphin in the Newport River Estuary, North Carolina. This study tested the hypothesis that s ... Full text Cite