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2001 Workshop

Workshop on GIS/Remote Sensing for Marine Mammal Scientists

14th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals: Pre-conference Workshop
November 28, 2001
Vancouver, Canada

Organizers

Ellen Hines (San Francisco State University, USA)
Dave Duffus (University of Victoria, Canada)
Sue Moore (NOAA National Marine Mammal Lab, USA)
Sean Twiss (University of Durham, UK)
Caterina D’Agrosa (Duke University, USA)
Ed Gregr (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Jan Benson (NOAA National Marine Mammal Lab, USA)
Jeremy Davies (NOAA National Marine Mammal Lab, USA)
Sarah Allen (Point Reyes National Seashore, USA)

Purpose of workshop

There is potential for using geomatic technologies in marine mammal research that is, for the most part, untapped and unrealized.  For a realistic assessment of the populations and trends necessary for marine mammal conservation, we need to study the relationships between marine mammal behavior and large-scale abiotic/biotic oceanographic parameters.

This workshop was created as a first step to gather together marine mammal scientists interested in the possibilities of using geographic information systems (GIS), remotely sensed imagery, and global positioning systems (GPS).  The first workshop at the SMM conference in Maui in 1999 was such a success that we decided to hold another workshop for the 2001 SMM conference here in Vancouver.

Workshop Schedule:

8:30 to 9:00 AM Registration

9:00 to 10:30 AM Greetings and outline of day.

Presentations of innovative uses of Geographic Information Systems (moderated by Ellen Hines)

  • Deutsch, C., Reid, J. P, and D. E. Easton.  USGS Sirenia Project, Gainesville, Florida.  Use of the ArcView Tracking Analyst to investigate manatee movements.
  • Kaschner, K. Marine Mammal Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Canada.  A spatially explicit model of marine mammal food consumption in the North Atlantic: Incorporation of habitat preferences using GIS.
  • Ross, M., Weishampel, J. F, and R. O. Flamm.  University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.  Seasonal and diel patterns of manatee habitat selection.
  • Meier, S. K., and D. A. Duffus.  Whale Research Lab, University of Victoria, Canada.  A multi-scale spatial analysis of gray whale habitat use and site selection in Clayoquot Sound, Canada.

10:30 to 11:15 AM coffee break, poster presentation viewing and demonstrations.

11:15 AM to 12:30 PM Presentations of innovative uses of remote sensing (moderated by Sue Moore)

  • Davies, J., and S. Moore.  Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington. Integrating remotely sensed data via GIS: a case study.
  • Burn, D. M., Webber, M., Garlich-Miller, J., and J. Minick.  US Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management Office, Anchorage, Alaska.  Detection, classification, and group size estimation of Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in Ikonos satellite imagery.
  • Nichols, T., Barber, D. G., and H. S. Innes.  Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Application of synthetic aperture radar in stratifying ringed seal (Phoca hispida) habitat.
  • Freitas, C. M., Engel, M. H., Freitas, A., Pierce, G. J., Miller, P., and M. E. Morete.  Centro de Ciências Biológicas e Geológicas da Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal. Relationship between satellite-derived suspended sediments from SeaWiFs and the distribution of humpback whales wintering in Abrolhos, Brazil.

12:30 to 1:30PM Lunch

1:30 to 2:45 PM Major Topic Presentations

  • Halpin, Patrick.  Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.  Spatial frameworks for marine mammal studies: modeling transient environments.
  • Gregr, Ed, Marine Mammal Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Canada, and Sean Twiss, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Durham, Durham, UK.  Spatial/temporal statistical analysis.

2:45 to 3:30 PM coffee break, poster presentation viewing and demonstrations.

3:30PM to 5:00 PM concurrent group discussions:

  • Continuation of discussion on spatial frameworks for marine mammal studies: modeling transient environments (Patrick Halpin).
  • Continuation of discussion on spatial/temporal analysis (Ed Gregr and Sean Twiss).
  • The integration of GIS & Remote Sensing (Jeremy Davies, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington).
  • Applying GIS to Marine Mammal Ecology Studies (Mark Baumgartner, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University).