In the competition to acquire mates, environmental factors can be important in determining the relative quality of an individual. These aspects of quality are often conveyed through signals used for mate assessment by the most energetically-invested sex. In red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, chemical signals communicate a surprising amount of information,...
At the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), upwelling associated with cyclonic circulation and the presence of a shallow thermocline support a highly productive biological habitat, exploited by marine fauna at several trophic levels. During January 2008, a cruise to the CRD by the R/V Pacific Storm was conducted to relocate blue...
The North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population has been increasing at an average annual rate of ~6% since the early 1990s. In northern Southeast Alaska alone, there are now more whales than estimated for the entire North Pacific several decades ago. An understanding of how this growing population is...
The electrical grid is a key component of the Nation's critical infrastructure. Its continuous and reliable operation is of vital importance; any system-wide disruption would have a debilitating impact on crucial services, public health and safety, the economy, and the national security of the United States.
High-impact low-frequency events pose...
The field of geography has been transformed in recent years through the use of spatial tools such as geographic information systems (GIS) satellite and acoustic remote sensing, the global positioning system (GPS), Internet mapping and more. Studying geography and earth science in the digital age now requires a sophisticated and...
Twentieth century commercial whaling drastically reduced the abundance of great whale populations in the Southern Ocean. Exploitation began on the south Atlantic island of South Georgia, where catch records account for over 175,000 whales killed. Modern whaling within the Southern Ocean depleted populations rapidly, and by 1966, hunting blue whales...
The western North Atlantic population of the northern right whale (Eubalaena
glacialis) was severely depleted by whaling over the last century. Despite over fifty
years of protection, fewer than four hundred individuals are believed to exist in the
North Atlantic. Relatively little is known about the diving behavior, respiratory
physiology,...
Gray whales accomplish an annual migration which
spans as much as 50° of latitude in the northeast
Pacific Ocean. This migration links their summer high
latitude feeding grounds with winter calving and breeding
areas. The purpose of this study was to determine how
adult females apportion their stored lipid reserves...