Tomhawke's Blog
Westview questions & answers
Posted By: tomhawke, Dr. Hawke on Monday, November 21, 2005
Hello Everyone,
Team Westview has asked a number of questions and I have picked a few at random to answer. Thanks to all the teams for their questions and I will do my best to get to them!
Nathan-How long will it take to find significant discoveries?
Good Question Nathan. We could find something significant today or 10 years from now. Sometimes something really important is sitting right there but we just don’t see it yet. Sometimes we will report something interesting but the scientific community won’t understand it’s relevance for many years. I once saw a lecture by a man who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology 40 years after he first made his discovery. He started out the lecture by saying “I am not sure why I am receiving this prize now, 40 years later, but…”.
With respect to our current work, we are already collecting data that we are excited about. It is new pieces of information that no one has ever looked at before and we are just beginning to connect the dots of how the seal may be handle these extreme conditions.
Jessy-Why are you down there besides researching? Do you do any fun stuff like touring?
The most important reason I am down here is for researching but as you can see from the updates, I try to ‘boondoggle’ (tour) as much as possible. Also, the places we go to sample are very beautiful and it is like a tour just going out to the sites.
Ronnera-I just read the week 7 update and I'm wondering, do the seals like different types of ice depending on their species. Are there even different types of ice?
Wow, great question!
Yes, different seals choose different types of ice! The reasons they choose different types of ice are varied (and we really don’t know all the answers yet). Leopard seals are near the ice edge, Crabeater seals are most often found on the pack ice (ice near the ice edge) and Weddell seals are found on the fast ice (ice much further from the ice edge). It is most likely that different seals would choose the different types of ice based on their foraging and feeding habits as well as their ability to make it to the different types of ice. Since Weddell seals are deep divers and can hold their breath longer, they can make it much further away from the ice edge than other types of seals.
I will let you answer the second part of your question ;) what are the different types of ice?
Thanks for your questions.
Dr. Hawke
[ Back: Week 7 Update | Index | Next: Is climate change having any effect on Weddell Seals? ]