IMIS

Our objective is to map the distribution of upper-trophic predators with respect to physical and biological gradients across the North Carolina shelf. A team of observers used standardized population sampling techniques, including line-transect and strip-transect methods, to survey the distribution and abundance of marine mammals, birds and turtles. By repeatedly surveying the study area in conjunction with physical and biological measurements from in-situ and remote-sensing platforms, we will quantify how these predators respond to changes in the oceanography of this dynamic region over short time scales (days) and across seasons (summer - winter). More information is available online: Cape Hatteras: Where Currents Collide; Science - Marine Mammals: http://www.whoi.edu/science/PO/hatterasfronts/marinemammal.html Cape Hatteras: Where Currents Collide; Overview - Background: http://www.whoi.edu/science/PO/hatterasfronts/index.html