http://topp.org/topp_blog Subscribe en-TOPP http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_22_successful_tag_deployments <p>Despite a slow start to the field season, we kept ourselves occupied with various outdoor survival trainings and gear prepping in the lab.  While we were hoping to deploy tags soon after our arrival in Antarctica, this delay was a welcomed event while we patiently waited for the Weddell seals to complete their annual molt.  However, as more time passed, we realized that we would have a lot of work ahead of us in order to deploy all 22 tags in the time remaining.</p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_22_successful_tag_deployments">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_22_successful_tag_deployments#comments Antarctica TOPPBlog Weddell seal Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:49:37 -0800 KimberlyGoetz 778 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/biologging_collection_published_today <p><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 10pt">One of the most exciting aspects of the TOPP program has been bringing together so many scientists, from so many different areas of expertise, to better understand how marine animals use the ocean.  A highlight of this effort was in September, 2008 when TOPP hosted the Biologging III conference.  A total of 235 attendees representing 20 nations delivered 103 oral and 45 poster presentations, describing a wide variety of biologging applications on 89 different animal species.</span><span style="font-famil</p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/biologging_collection_published_today">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/biologging_collection_published_today#comments TOPPBlog Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:36:48 -0800 RandyKochevar 777 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/episode_5_shark_tagging_noaa_nmfs <p>This is the second-to-last entry in a series of articles from the NOAA/NMFS shark tagging expedition that took place in fall, 2009. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/episode_5_shark_tagging_noaa_nmfs">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/episode_5_shark_tagging_noaa_nmfs#comments TOPPBlog Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:41:28 -0800 RandyKochevar 776 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_deployment <p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> </p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_deployment">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_deployment#comments Año Nuevo State Reserve Northern elephant seal TOPPBlog Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:35:20 -0800 MelindaFowler 775 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/elephant_seal_tag_recoveries <p><strong>Melinda Fowler at UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab</strong>--We&#39;ve recovered 3 satellite tags from female northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve this season.  While that may not seem like a very large number, we&#39;ve been keeping very busy.  We&#39;ve been working very hard to locate individuals by their identifying flipper tags to help learn about survivorship, as well as contributing to another project we have going on.  Because of the El Niño weather patterns this year, we are capturing females on the 5th day after they give birth to get a mass measurement.  </p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/elephant_seal_tag_recoveries">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/elephant_seal_tag_recoveries#comments Año Nuevo State Reserve Northern elephant seal TOPPBlog Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:14:55 -0800 MelindaFowler 774 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_searching_seals_sea_and_air <p><strong>Kimberly Goetz at McMurdo Station, Antarctica--</strong>On January 16th, Dr. Jennifer Burns and I donned our gear and headed to helo operations.  The goal of the mission was to fly within Erebus Bay and along the Victoria Land coastline of McMurco Sound in search of Weddell seals to tag during the next few weeks.  We not only needed to locate sizable groups of seals, but we needed to locate them on ice that was strong enough to support a helo loaded with 6 people and all our gear.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_searching_seals_sea_and_air">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_searching_seals_sea_and_air#comments Antarctica TOPPBlog Weddell seal Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:34:04 -0800 KimberlyGoetz 773 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_deploying_ice <p><strong>Kimberly Goetz at McMurdo Station, Antarctica--</strong>This project required months of preparation.  In fact, preparations began more than 6 months before traveling south!  Seal tags were calibrated, prepped, programmed and tested; field gear was gathered, packed, and shipped; permit applications were submitted; logistics were arranged; medical clearances were obtained.  The list seems to go on and on with many long nights spent at the lab.  </p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_deploying_ice">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_deploying_ice#comments Antarctica TOPPBlog Weddell seal Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:26:30 -0800 KimberlyGoetz 772 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_who_what_where_when_and_why <p><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><strong>Kimberly Goetz at McMurdo Station, Antarctica--</strong>Two groups of researchers led by Dan Costa (at UC Santa Cruz) and Jennifer Burns (at the University of Alaska) are traveling down to Antarctica to study Weddell seals in one of the most uninhabited places on Earth.  Very little is known about Weddell seals and their ocean environment because it is very difficult and expensive to conduct studies in this harsh environment.  We will use advanced tagging technology to study both the winter behavior and the environment of the Weddell seal over </p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_who_what_where_when_and_why">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/antarctic_weddell_seal_tagging_project_who_what_where_when_and_why#comments Antarctica TOPPBlog Weddell seal Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:34:00 -0800 KimberlyGoetz 771 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/topp_collection_goes_live_plos <p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Happy New Year to everyone!<span>  </span>We’ve finally made it to 2010 – when this first phase of the Census of Marine Life will draw to a close.<span>  </span>It has been an amazing adventure so far, and this year promises to be exciting indeed, as we bring together the results from all our collaborators, and integrate them with the findings of the other Census projects.<span>  </span>We’ll keep you posted as these various integration initiatives come to fruition.</font></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/topp_collection_goes_live_plos">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/topp_collection_goes_live_plos#comments TOPPBlog Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:54:32 -0800 RandyKochevar 770 at http://topp.org http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_pup_season <p><strong>Melinda Fowler at UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab</strong>--The first elephant seal pup of the season has arrived at Año Nuevo.  The pup was born at <a href="http://www.topp.org/elephant_seal_breeding_beaches" target="_blank">Año Point Gully</a> (APG).  At the moment it&#39;s a bit lonely at APG, but before long this will be the largest harem at the Reserve.  There are 7 TOPP females on their way back to Año Nuevo as we speak.  This is very, very beginning of the breeding season and we don&#39;t expect our tagged females until after Christmas.</p> <p><a href="http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_pup_season">read more</a></p> http://topp.org/blog/first_elephant_seal_pup_season#comments Año Nuevo State Reserve Northern elephant seal TOPPBlog Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:01:07 -0800 MelindaFowler 767 at http://topp.org