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Smart Buoy

WHOI biologist Mark Baumgartner has deployed buoys carrying his near real-time whale-listening devices off the coasts of Massachusetts, Maine, and New York. The technology includes software developed by Baumgartner to identify different species of whales, such as the humpback, which is known for its acrobatics and its long, haunting songs; the fin whale—the second largest animal ever to exist on Earth; and the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale—one of the world’s rarest whale species. The technology can also be mounted and used on autonomous vehicles as well, such as gliders and wave gliders. (Photo by Matthew Barton, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)