Julia Burrows

General research interests:

• Ecology, behavior, and conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles
  

• Using VHF/satellite telemetry and archival tags to study movement patterns
• Foraging ecology, particularly how animals find their prey
• Marine mammals and anthropogenic interactions including fisheries interactions and disturbance
• Abundance, distribution, and diversity patterns including line-transect analysis
• Mating systems and reproductive strategies
• Testing fundamental ecological concepts such as productivity-diversity and predator-prey relationships in marine mammals
• Understanding the effects of global warming on marine mammals

Thesis topic:
Effects of Productivity on marine mammals abundance and diversity in Monterey bay, California

Thesis research:
   For my thesis research I will analyze 10 years of data collected from monthly cruises that monitored the coastal upwelling ecosystem of Monterey Bay, California. The "Wind to Whales" project is an interdisciplinary approach to marine science that integrates physical and biological oceanography, hydroacoustic sampling, and marine mammal and seabird surveys.

Variability in oceanic conditions can occur on seasonal, interannual, interdecadal, or longer time frames. In the California Current System, coastal upwelling dominates seasonal variation, whereas El Niño and La Niña events are responsible for the majority of interannual variability. Upwelling, El Niño and La Niña events result in changes in oceanic productivity, which affect the entire ecosystem. The major objective of this research is to investigate the response of marine mammals to variations in productivity (primary production, euphausiid biomass, and fish abundance). The seasonal and interannual changes in marine mammal abundance and diversity from 1997 to 2007 in Monterey Bay, California will be related to variability in primary production and prey availability in Monterey Bay, and primary production the California Current System. This objective will be accomplished through the use of shipboard line-transect surveys, hydroacoustic sampling, and satellite derived ocean color images. The response of species to shorter-term oceanographic variability, such as El Niño events, may be the best predictor of the biological response of these species to longer-term oceanographic change, such as ocean warming. A better understanding of ecosystem response to variability, including its top predators, is imperative as the ocean and climate continue to change. Results of this study will improve our understanding of ocean conditions in the coastal upwelling ecosystem of Monterey Bay, and allow us to predict how marine mammal abundance and diversity will change in response to changes in oceanic productivity.

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