HUMPACS PMNM
Jupiter Research Foundation (JRF) is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to conduct glider work in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) (Contract# N39430-19-S-213). This project is a partnership with both the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) to better understand underwater sound within the National Marine Sanctuary System. These agencies are working with numerous scientific partners, including JRF, to study the sounds produced by marine animals, physical processes (e.g. wind and waves), and human activities (collectively known as the 'soundscape') within seven national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument across the U.S.
As part of this national effort, Europa recently embarked on another HUMPACS mission, this time to PMNM where the presence of humpback whales is still poorly documented and understood. The mission's primary goal is to acoustically document the occurrence of song produced by male humpback whales as a proxy for the relative presence of whales in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Europa on Jupiter’s RV May Maru with Beth Goodwin, Project Manager of HUMPACS PMNM, and Marc Lammers, PhD, Research Coordinator | Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Europa launched and ready for her voyage
It was a blustery day with a beautiful rainbow on the horizon