December 3, 2001 Marine scientists gather to discuss tracking studies of marine mammals By Tim Stephens The development of lightweight tracking and monitoring devices that can be attached to marine mammals has vastly improved scientists' ability to study the movements and behavior of animals that spend all or most of their lives at sea. As the number of such studies increases, however, researchers are beginning to think about how to improve the way they report their findings and archive their data. Researchers are considering a central database for archiving marine mammal tracking data. UCSC researchers used satellite tags to track migration patterns of elephant seals (above). The lightweight tracking device is glued to the fur (below) and falls off when the animal returns to the rookery and molts. Images: James Ganoung, above; Burney Le Boeuf, below. In a workshop this week at Long Marine Lab, an international group of scientists will explore the feasibility of establishing a common data standard for reporting the results of research on the behavior and movement patterns of free-ranging marine mammals. They will also discuss the idea of creating a central database for archiving data from diving and tracking studies. Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Daniel Costa and research biologist Scott Shaffer have organized the Diving and Tracking Database Workshop, which will take place on December 5 and 6. The workshop is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Researchers from the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Japan are expected to attend. "We wanted to bring together the major researchers in this field from around the world to see if we can standardize how data of this type are reported," Costa said. "We are also interested in creating a central data archive with common access for those who contribute to it, which is something that oceanographers and others have been doing for a long time." Satellite tracking devices and time-depth recorders have become standard equipment for researchers studying marine mammals, birds, and even fish. Costa and Shaffer have used them to study diving behavior, foraging strategies, and migration patterns in a wide range of marine animals, including elephant seals, fur seals, sea lions, and albatrosses. Currently, they are contributing data on marine mammal diving behavior to an ONR program on the effects of sound on the marine environment. "We are compiling a database on marine mammal diving and movement patterns that the Navy can use when planning exercises in a particular area," Shaffer said. "By knowing which animals are out there and how they behave, the Navy can plan their exercises in a way that will minimize the impact on the marine environment." In addition, Shaffer noted that standardized reporting and a central data archive could have many benefits for marine mammal researchers in general. Currently, published tracking and diving studies of marine mammals provide widely varying amounts of data in a variety of formats. For example, data from individual animals may be lumped together and presented as summary data for groups of animals. Information such as the age, weight, and sex of the animals studied, where and when the study was conducted, and the instruments used may be missing or incomplete. These inconsistencies make it difficult to synthesize the results from different studies. In addition, published papers typically provide very little raw data from diving and tracking studies, Shaffer said. "To do any kind of computer modeling of ecosystem dynamics or to study how large, free-ranging animals use the marine environment, you need a lot of data," he said. "If everyone contributed to a central archive, there would be a lot more data available for modeling studies." Of course, many issues relating to database management and use of proprietary information would have to be worked out before such a system could be established. These issues are not likely to be resolved in one meeting, but the UCSC workshop will at least get the conversation started, Costa said. "The main goal is to try to get everyone on the same page in terms of how this kind of data is reported," he said. Return to Front Page