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NURC NA&GL has consistently served not only as a resource for the regional science community to
access submersible and wet diving technologies but also as a science, education and outreach program
with dedicated activities focused on natural sciences and education. The guiding principle for these
activities is their fit with NOAA and NURP goals and that they enhance the benefits and value of the
Center to the University and to the region. Further, these activities are supported with external
funding.
These activities fall under three broad categories: habitat ecology of fishes, education, and
bioacoustics.
Habitat Ecology of Fishes Project
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Goosefish preying upon a skate
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The Habitat Ecology of Fishes project is focused on understanding how variations in habitats
(landscapes) mediate population dynamics and community composition of fishes, how human activities
affect habitat integrity and how management actions can lead to the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity.
This work is conducted using three broad approaches: field studies to assess patterns in populations
and communities of fishes (e.g., the distribution and abundance of fishes in relation to landscape
types), laboratory studies to develop indices of vital rates (e.g., variability in predation rates
mediated by habitat), and modeling to extrapolate results to larger spatial scales (e.g, Gulf of
Maine, Stellwagen Bank).
Studies are primarily focused in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England regions.
There are multiple ongoing projects at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of
Maine. However, in an effort to understand pattern and process in a biogeographic sense, other
studies have been conducted or are ongoing in the Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Gulf
of California, tropical Pacific, and the Gulf of Alaska.
For more information, visit the HEF Project website
Outreach & Education
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Classroom of the Sea students aboard the
R/V Connecticut
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The Center supports multiple activities focused on education and outreach. The education programs
focus on experiential research and education for high school students and teachers, the development
and implementation of a marine science curriculum for deaf students, research focused on the process
of environmental education. The outreach activities and products include the development of CDROM
and Web-based multi-media products to expose the public to a diversity of underwater landscapes and
organisms, publication of an e-newsletter focused on translation of research results, and publication
of various book products are all part of the activities targeted at developing an informed public
who are able to participate in decision-making about our common natural aquatic heritage.
Bioacoustics
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The fluke of a whale at Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary
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The final area of activities is focused on bioacoustics research. In particular, research has
focused on the effects of ambient noise on marine mammals and how marine mammals use sound (either
passive or active) to capture prey. The connection through NURC in this regard is the utilization
of underwater imaging systems to validate sound producers and evidence of feeding by marine mammals
on the seafloor. Externally funded projects have been supported by other NOAA elements (National
Marine Sanctuaries Program), the U.S. Navy, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Canada.
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