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SAMC
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• ANNUAL REPORT 2013
A patch of animals
The marine mammal group also got a rare treat as the
Oden crossed onto the edge of the continental shelf on
its return to Svalbard. Suddenly, they said, the ocean
was alive with whales, all taking advantage of the rich
habitat that is typically found in this region.
Over a roughly 2.5 hour period, the group reported
dozens of sightings, including sperm whales, white-
beaked dolphins, humpbacked whales, fin whales and
minke whales.
“It was one of the best whale areas I have ever been to,”
said Jan Durinck, from Marine Observers in Denmark,
who has more than 20 years of experience as a marine
mammal observer.
“We know this is an area where we find animals, but
their distribution can be quite patchy,” Weissenberger
said. “We just got lucky.”
In the end, the biologists reported approximately 150
sightings of marine mammals during the course of the
cruise.
Collect and redeploy
Cruise Leader Lubbad said researchers were able to
achieve virtually all their research objectives during
the two-week journey, including the collection of and
redeployment of four buoys containing instruments for
measuring currents and other information.
These underwater moorings have been busily collecting
ice and ocean current data for the last year, and retriev-
ing themwas one of Oden’s most important tasks on this
cruise.
One of the moorings was missing its instrument
package, most likely because of contact with a trawl
wire, which could have snapped the line, Lubbad said.
And researchers successfully deployed four more
moorings for collection next year.
one of the deployed buoys.
A 360-degree view
While the cruise offered many opportunities for
researchers to test new equipment or collect new data
to validate models, Lubbad said he was particularly
impressed by the performance of a 360-degree camera
that researchers designed to test on the cruise.
The set-up involved a series of simple cameras installed
on the very top of the ship, which continuously recorded
the view of the ice surrounding the Oden.
“It looks like you are taking pictures from a helicopter
hovering just over the ship,” Lubbad said. Researchers
Hooded seal juvenile.
Photo: Jan Durinck
Photo: Taisiya Sinitsyna