Whales Are Where?

WHOI biologist Mark Baumgartner and acoustic analyst Julianne Gurnee of the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center review data received from a whale monitoring buoy outside New York Harbor. The buoy transmits sound signals from whales in near real-time, alerting researchers when whales are present. Baumgartner developed software for the instrument that detects and identifies whale sounds, and he collaborated with New York’s Wildlife Conservation Society to place a buoy near New York City shipping lanes. Whales are vulnerable to injury from ships and human activities. The data, available on a public website, could help people manage activity near whales and aid in their conservation. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)