SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAM

The Voyage of the Odyssey is unique because in our work throughout the world we will use the same methods for collecting data and analyzing results. This will make it possible for the first time to draw comparisons between contaminant loads throughout the world's oceans - giving us the first truly comprehensive worldwide assessment of the ecotoxicological risks facing humans and other animals that depend on the marine environment for food.

The core science of this project hinges on the premise that because whales and albatrosses are wide-ranging marine animals that feed in the same food web as commercially important fish species, they make excellent indicators of the health of that web, and thus of the health risks that all animals, including humans, face by eating food from the seas. Our data will demonstrate concentrations of contaminants as well as the biological consequences of contaminant burdens. In the first years we will focus on whales, but later will increase our research effort with albatrosses and add a new research program on South American sealions -- a species that may have high contaminant levels even though it lives in remote areas.

Toxicology

Today, there are major concerns about the ubiquitous accumulation of persistent organic chemicals in man and animals. Concerns include issues of immunosuppression, neurological function, reproduction and cancer. There are many data that point to possible problems at local and regional levels, but there is a lack of globally integrated data that allow a consistent appraisal of exposure and risk in a manner that covers entire ocean basins. We propose to measure concentrations of polynuclear aromatic and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and HAHs) in marine mammals, especially great whales from each of the major ocean basins. We will also look for changes in macromolecular biomarkers of exposure including foreign compounds bound to DNA (adducts) and cytochrome P4501A induction. These data will allow a better understanding of the risks associated with chronic exposure to important toxicants. Burdens of selected organic chemicals will be analyzed by gas chromatograph mass spectroscopy, cytochrome P4501A analysis by immunohistochemistry, and adduct analysis by capillary electrophoresis.

Genetics

Guest scientist, Peter Teglberg Madsen in Papua New Guinea.

Photo: Chris Johnson

Even though the backbone of the Voyage is the toxicology research, we will also be collecting data and doing work in several other areas whenever such work does not interfere with our primary focus. We feel that such additional research will add support to the on-going research and maximize the benefits that can accrue from this three year study. A prime example of this work is work on DNA fingerprinting that will be carried out in the laboratory of William Amos of Cambridge University. The place where animals are sampled may bear little relation to where they have fed or spent most of their lives. However, genetic analyses help in assigning individuals to populations which assists in defining migratory patterns, which in turn aids in interpreting other analyses.

Bioacoustics

Marine bioacoustics concentrates on understanding the acoustic behaviors of marine animals with particular focus on marine mammals (whales and dolphins). As such it serves as the focal point for a wide range of disciplines including behavioral ecology, biological oceanography, population biology, psychoacoustics, neuroethology, electrical engineering, statistics, applied mathematics, and applied physics.