Image

Big Data

How do you approach the subject of your research if it is the largest animal in the ocean (and on the planet)? Very carefully—and from the air as well as the sea. In 2014, WHOI biologists Alex Bocconcelli and Michael Moore and NOAA ecologist John Durban teamed with members of the Chilean non-profit Fundación Meri to learn more about blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the waters of northern Patagonia. Researchers photographed the whales from boats and aerial drones and also attached digital recording tags (DTAGs) to collect information about diving, feeding, and vocal behavior. Learn more about the project Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. when Bocconcelli gives a Science Made Public lecture at the Ocean Science Discovery Center. (Photo courtesy of Michael Moore, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and John Durban, NOAA Fisheries)