Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network: An Integrated System

Jennifer Miksis-Olds
Research Professor

CCOM/JHC

Friday, Sep. 30, 2016, 3:00pm
Chase 130
Abstract

An Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network (ADEON) for the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is currently being developed. ADEON will generate long term measurements of the natural and human factors that describe the ecology and soundscape of the OCS. Ocean processes, marine life dynamics, and human ocean use are each inherently three-dimensional and time-dependent, and each occur at many spatial and temporal scales. No single measurement system (in situ or remote) is sufficient for describing any of the ocean state variables, and a “multi-platform, multi-variable” observational approach integrated with models is required. The ADEON network will combine acoustic information with contextual data from space-based remote sensing, hydrographic sensors, and mobile platforms to fully comprehend how human, biologic, and natural abiotic components create the soundscape and influence ecosystem dynamics of the OCS. Measurements made within this research program will serve as a baseline for pattern and trend analyses of ambient sound and the ecosystem components contributing to the OCS soundscapes. 

Bio

Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds is a Research Professor at the University of New Hampshire holding positions in the School of Marine Science & Ocean Engineering and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. Her research employs acoustic methodologies to answer biological questions in the marine environment. Her primary interests include animal behavior and communication, the effect of anthropogenic activities on animals and their environment, ocean soundscape monitoring and modelling, and the development of technology to observe animals in their natural environment. Jennifer serves as a Scientific Advisor to the Sound and Marine Life Joint Industry Programme (International Oil & Gas Producers) which is devoted to the study of effects of sound on marine organisms. She has been funded by the Office of Naval Research through the National Defense for Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship from 2002-2005 and through competitive grants from 2007 to the present. Jennifer was also the recipient of a Young Investigator Program Award (2011) and Presidential Early Career Award for Science & Engineering (2013) through the Office of Naval Research. Jennifer received her A.B. cum laude in Biology from Harvard University, her M.S. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, she was a guest student at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and then received her Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. She served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Estuarine and Oceanic Science at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine and Science Technology and a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Fisheries Oceanography at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine and Science Technology.