It can be said that we are very fortunate to have the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) practically in our backyard – or should I say, neighboring shore.
Its mission to study all environmental aspects of the world’s oceans from the health of the ocean itself to the millions upon millions of creatures whose lives are completely dependent on them requires scientists from a wide variety of disciplines: computer programmers, marine biologists, engineers, mathmagicians, oceanographers, the list is nearly endless. These dedicated professionals are on the leading edge of research and technology advancements, and, as equally important, education.
We are also fortunate that the Marion Natural History Museum, whose mission is the education of our young people, periodically invites researchers from WHOI to speak on various ocean-related subject matter. And no ocean-related subject matter has been more in the region’s news this summer than the mighty great white shark.
On August 8, a leading authority in the creation and operation of torpedo-shaped underwater robots called remote environmental monitoring units (REMUS), Amy Kukulya, spent an hour talking about her work in the development and deployment of REMUS robots for the study of sharks and other marine animals.
Kukulya explained the capabilities of the robots, which includes not only tracking tagged animals as they travel through the ocean, but also collecting temperature data and current flows. The robots she said are designed to capture 3D imagery from as many as five cameras that provides very fine-scale video quality.
Kukulya has traveled the globe deploying REMUS equipment to study the ocean and the animals that live therein, and also to collect data on natural resources such as oil and gas.
But it is the sharks that are currently exciting the local imagination; and to understand these top predators, Kukulya and a team of scientists have been tracking them for several years.
One of the more interesting behavioral traits the WHOI team has found is the difference between shark species’ reaction to REMUS in their environment.
Kukulya said that great white sharks around Cape Cod are swimming in relatively shallow waters. The depth of the water has a profound impact on how the sharks hunt for prey because shallow waters minimize their capacity to sight prey from below. Interestingly, they found that local sharks weren’t that interested in what humans were doing, such as deploying REMUS, due to visibility.
That was not the case, however, when they studied sharks on the West Coast of Mexico near Guadalupe. In this region, the ocean is very deep, Kukulya said, giving the sharks the depth needed to hunt in their traditional fashion, sighting prey from below. She explained that sharks prefer to roam close to the ocean floor looking up for possible prey, “sighting them from below.” She said, “They hunt on the edge of darkness.”
But nothing speaks louder than visual evidence. Kukulya showed a video taken by REMUS in the waters near Guadalupe. It only takes a few minutes before the sharks notice the robot and take a great interest in its taste. Blasting up from the depths, the sharks repeatedly bite the equipment with a force that was unexpected. When REMUS was removed from the water, the sharks had been able to dent the nearly indestructible tube.
Switching gears, Kukulya wants people to understand that plastic bags are killing turtles, as are ropes and other gear associated primarily with lobster fishing in local waters. A video taken by a REMUS of a tagged leatherback turtle demonstrates how they feed on jellyfish, their exclusive diet. As the turtle swims along, it simply opens its mouth and gobbles up the jellies. Unfortunately, a plastic bag floating in the water column resembles a jellyfish.
Around the Cape and Islands, the researches have learned from tagged turtles that they are swimming in the same crowded waters as the island ferries and fishing boats.
“The ocean has become crowded,” said Kukulya. “We learn all sorts of things putting a camera on an animal. It helps us to develop science applications. … The robots let us swim along beside the animals,” she said.
Kukulya has worked with shark advocate and expert Greg Skomal, and has had her work included in episodes of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programing. She plans to continue working on the evolution of remote robotic applications and equipment, work that will continue expanding researchers’ knowledge and aid in their goal of conserving marine life and the health of the world’s oceans.
To learn more, visit www.whoi.edu. For more information about programs available at the Marion Natural History Museum for children and families you may visit www.marionmuseum.org.
By Marilou Newell