Scientists use seismometers on the ocean floor to monitor small earthquakes. But these seismometers detect more than earthquakes, they pick up the deep tones of the calls of fin whales — far more whale calls, in fact, than earthquakes. Fin whales produce some of the loudest noises in the animal kingdom. But they haven’t been studied much, so scientists are learning to use the whale calls recorded by their seismic equipment to learn more about the behavior of the fin whales. You can learn more about this amazing application of data from one scientific discipline to another in a May 11, 2013 article in the Seattle Times by Sandi Doughton: Scientists track giant whales by their earthshaking calls. That online article also contains audio of whale calls off Vancouver Island.
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Recent Media Articles
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In Ian’s Ride, Karen Polinsky tells an inspiring story of Ian Mackay learning ways to approach life after he had been paralyzed from the neck down. One of the things I especially liked about the story was how it focused on the process of finding solutions rather than dramatizing a negative view of the situation.
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The Accidental Ecosystem
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