National Ocean Service

About: National Ocean Service is a government organization based out in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Algal bloom & Population. The organization has 500 authors who have published 643 publications receiving 46096 citations.

Tactical Modeling of Surface Oil Transport During the Deepwater Horizon Spill Response

Abstract: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides scientific support for oil and chemical spills. During the unprecedented Deepwater Horizon oil spill response in the Gulf of Mexico, the Emergency Response Division (OR&R/Emergency Response Division) provided daily 72 h tactical forecasts for movement of the surface oil. Surface oil distribution was initialized daily from analysis of satellite imagery and incorporation of visual overflight observations. Computation of oil trajectories utilized currents from a number of hydrodynamic models allowing an ensemble forecasting approach. Results from the suite of trajectories were combined to produce a final forecast product for distribution to the Incident Command Posts. These forecasts were utilized during the Deepwater Horizon response for planning, allocation of resources, and direction of response assets.

Evidence for acoustic communication among bottom foraging humpback whales

Abstract: Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), a mysticete with a cosmopolitan distribution, demonstrate marked behavioural plasticity. Recent studies show evidence of social learning in the transmission of specific population level traits ranging from complex singing to stereotyped prey capturing behaviour. Humpback whales have been observed to employ group foraging techniques, however details on how individuals coordinate behaviour in these groups is challenging to obtain. This study investigates the role of a novel broadband patterned pulsed sound produced by humpback whales engaged in bottom-feeding behaviours, referred to here as a ‘paired burst’ sound. Data collected from 56 archival acoustic tag deployments were investigated to determine the functional significance of these signals. Paired burst sound production was associated exclusively with bottom feeding under low-light conditions, predominantly with evidence of associated conspecifics nearby suggesting that the sound likely serves either as a communicative signal to conspecifics, a signal to affect prey behaviour, or possibly both. This study provides additional evidence for individual variation and phenotypic plasticity of foraging behaviours in humpback whales and provides important evidence for the use of acoustic signals among foraging individuals in this species.