R/V Seawolf Cruises Waters off NY to Study Marine Life
A team of researchers from Assistant Professor Lesley Thorne’s Lab, along with the labs of Janet Nye and Joe Warren in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), began the first of a series of multi-year research cruises on the R/V Seawolf in 2018. The team’s goal is to better understand the ecosystem of the New York Bight, a deep submarine valley in the Atlantic Ocean located off New York City and Long Island in a region fed by the Gulf Stream and the Hudson River. The research is funded by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation with permits for cetacean research from the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The New York Bight provides several features that make the perfect environment for many species of marine life such as whales and dolphins. It is kept fairly warm by the southern Gulf Stream waters and receives freshwater and nutrients from the Hudson River, which has carved a large canyon along the sea floor.
Conducting surveys for cetaceans is important for understanding and predicting the abundance, distribution and habitat use of these species. By combining marine mammal observations with surveys of oceanographic conditions and fish, the research team hopes to learn more about predator-prey interactions and factors driving the distribution of cetaceans in New York waters.
For more about this research cruise, see the blog post by PhD students Julia Stepanuk and Alex Borowicz.