Patagonia Whales Breath it Out with Ocean Alliance

Image Selected for Google Maps and Google Earth -Argentina -Right Whale Breathing it out in Patagonia

Coming September in Patagonia Argentina a Team of researchers of Ocean Alliance working with a small drone built by Engineers from Oberlin College will try to gather biological samples of whales without even touching them.

Researchers of Ocean Alliance have focused on Whale´s blowholes activity. Blowholes are used in vital living activities from breathing to diving and probable connected to other cycles such as echolocation and communication as well as toxin exertion and health balance.

The team and its small “bot” stirred a commotion on the internet through their Kickstarter campaign which was supported by Actor Patrick Stewart know in the scientific community for his documentary broadcasts and internationally recognized for roles such as Professor X in the X-Men. But when it comes down to real science it good thing to separate myth from reality, science from science fiction and basically going as simple as one can go without stumbling upon a mixture of obstacles.

Care 2 Care reported on August 23 that the small, flying-airborne and waterproof drone can hover over the surface right directly above a whale’s blowhole and is so precise that it can collect samples of the blow. The blow of whales -contrary to common believes is not water expelled but rather air condensed. It contain stress hormone levels, viruses, bacteria, DNA, environmental toxins and other important information.

“The maiden voyage of the Snot Bot is set for September in South America’s Peninsula Valdez Patagonia. Samples will be collected from the southern right whale, which is one of the world’s most endangered great whales,” the organization spoke about the coming expedition in a land which now takes the protection of Right Whales very seriously under national and international Whale laws.

Whale science, raw whale science, is fascinating due to the many mysteries which Whales still conceal today. Their environment is mostly deep waters and coastal surface waters. Their mobility speed is so incredible that if one were in the water with a Whale and it decided to flap its tail that would be the last thing one would see before it vanishes into inaccessible environments. Fortunately for the guys of Ocean Alliance Whales -as cretaceous need to come back to surface to breathe and blow it all out. The study of whale´s blowhole samples has never been reported and its findings could be revealing.

Only a person with little understanding and knowledge of the advances made in ocean science by ROVs, drones and new technology would underestimate their contribution to the field. New drones, ROVs and new other technology has already revealed many ocean mysteries. Drones are being built in this new era under the “simple-low-cost-efficiency” concept by new generation of scientists.

As the campaign of Ocean Alliance and Oberlin College continues in hopes of gaining required permits to conduct scientific research in US waters and US air areas the team of researchers has already approved permits to operate in Patagonia; Argentina waters. Whale sanctuaries which call for the participation of scientific studies in the US have doubled recently in hands of NOAA in California at the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones, now known as the Great Farallones.

Just 24 hours before the Ocean Alliance Kickstarter Campaign ended they had reached over 1.4 thousand sponsors obtaining 189,305 USD of their set goal of 225 thousand USD. By the time it was over they obtained a total of 1.729 sponsors and a total funding which exceeded their initial goal of 229.819 USD.

Coming September Ocean Alliance is set to fly to Patagonia. Patagonia due to the characteristics of the environment and how Whales make use of the basin is an ideal location to test the technology. Its waters are usually calm, the wind rarely blows hard and Whales are at eye sight.

“Having a lung lining sample is crucial. With it we can see virus and bacteria loads, analyze DNA, and look for environmental toxins that have been absorbed into the whale’s system. Perhaps most importantly, we can test for levels of hormones, which gives us information on the reproductive cycles and stress levels of these creatures as they are increasingly impacted by human activity in their natural habitats,” the team explained.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.