"The Exploration of the Pacific"

Welcome!

Dave — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:57:52 +0000

You've found the website of Dave Johnston. You can reach me at: Duke University Marine Laboratory 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Beaufort, NC 28516 252 504 7593 On these pages you'll find information about work, family, friends and other things that may interest you. Use the links at right if you need further details regarding my [...]

Window on the Monument: Midway Atoll

Dave — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:21:16 +0000

The stars appear to have aligned. It looks like our Marine Conservation Course (offered by Duke and usually taught on Oahu) will be taught at Midway Atoll, at the far end of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands within the newly created Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Andy Read and I are the instructors for the course, and we'll [...]

Another good week!

Dave — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:22:28 +0000

It was definitely a good week. This morning I got word from the editorial staff at the IWC office that our manuscript about odontocetes in American Samoa is accepted for publication in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. This is great news as it will provide a good baseline for future studies as well [...]

Harp seals in the Northwestern Atlantic: Did cumulative effects of harvests and climate variability lead to rapid depletion?

Dave — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:00:07 +0000

So, I've been spending a lot of my spare time looking at sea ice dynamics in the North Atlantic in relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation. Ideally, this research aims to make sense of what is - and might - happen to harp seals, and other pagophilic pinnipeds, if global warming greatly effects their breeding [...]

Sea Ice and the NAO

Dave — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:24:30 +0000

I've been with working with Ari Friedlaender and David Lavigne (see collaborators page) on a project examining sea ice dynamics in the North Atlantic and their effects on breeding pagophilic seals. Previously, we established that the mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation contributes strongly to the amount of sea ice off eastern Canada (study available [...]

The problem with relying on dolphin choice

Dave — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:10:16 +0000

We know that spinner dolphins need to rest during the day, and that they use inshore areas that are also frequented by the dolphin Paparazzi. Pretty much everyone I talk to about spinner dolphins and interactions with humans brings up the idea of dolphin "choice" during encounters. The dolphins approached me or the dolphins came [...]

One thing leads to another…

Dave — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 20:45:44 +0000

I think that one of the most rewarding things about science is the inherent continuity of the process - where one project's results (whether expected or not) - lead to yet another set of questions and hypotheses and so on… For example, our recent study of humpbacks wintering in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands was based on [...]

Serious Injury Determinations - Seattle Workshop

Dave — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:22:05 +0000

I spent a good portion of last week in Seattle attending an agency-wide workshop dedicated to reviewing and revising the methods we use to assess whether or not anthropogenic injuries to marine mammals are likely to lead to their death. If they are, then they are considered a serious injury and are counted against the [...]

The new boat: RV Sedna

Dave — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:51:26 +0000

It's finally arrived! We've been waiting for awhile for this boat. After we ordered it the company stopped making the hulls to focus on some other contracts. But for the price, you get a lot - so it just might have been worth the wait. It's not a glossy boat, built for work and should be [...]

Humpbacks in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands!

Dave — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:47:12 +0000

Today, our paper describing humpbacks wintering in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands was published online in the Inter-Research journal Endangered Species Research. It's open access, so you can go and download the whole scientific article. We made these observations during our winter/spring cruise last this year (March 2007) and worked hard to get the details out [...]