UNE-NASA Marine Remote Sensing Center receives $248,000 continuation grant for whale, shark, seal research

Marine research that may help prevent the extinction of the North Atlantic right whale will continue at the University of New England thanks to a $248,000 continuation grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to work on the joint UNE-NASA Marine Remote Sensing Center based in UNE’s Marine Science Education and Research Center on the Biddeford campus.
 

North Atlantic right whale
North Atlantic right whale.
Photo Credit: P. Michael Payne, NMFS AKR
The UNE-based Remote Sensing Center was created in 2004 to better understand how marine organisms choose particular marine habitats, specifically the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Additional research has focused on tracking seals released from the Center’s marine animal rehab facility and on tracking basking sharks in collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The project is led by Stephan Zeeman, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences.

The long-term goal of the first phase of this project was to develop a real-time early warning system for use by mariners to avoid ship-whale collisions. Whales in all parts of the world are subject to collisions with large vessels, and this is of special concern with the North Atlantic right whale. There are only about 300 of these whales left. The system uses remote sensing data and satellite tagging of animals to predict where concentrations of these marine mammals might occur.

UNE marine scientists have developed an interactive website using GIS technologies that enables users to view movements of marine mammals overlain on NASA remote sensing imagery, both from archival and real-time data.

Education is an important part of this research initiative. Curriculum materials for K-12 students are being developed in two subject areas: remote sensing of Earth and robotics.

NASA, responsible for Earth-orbiting satellites that can detect myriad kinds of information from space and transmit that information back to Earth, has created a diverse program of “remote sensing” stations in collaboration with universities and research facilities around the world.

UNE’s Marine Science Center is the only facility of its kind on any college or university campus, incorporating marine education, research and marine animal rehabilitation.

(Press release issued Jan. 18, 2006)

    
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