National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists are studying dolphins' breathing patterns to better understand how oil spills effect their ability to breathe.
A number of dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore are being studied to figure out how dolphins might have breathing difficulties in situations when the water is not clean, according to a March 30 news release. Details from the study are expected to be used to better design plans for disaster relief and restoring marine ecosystems.
"Studying marine mammals during oil spills can be challenging," NOAA Office of Response and Restoration senior scientist Lisa DiPinto said in a March 29 blog post about the research. "Oil spills occur without warning, often in remote areas, and it's difficult to locate and study marine mammals during the organized chaos of oil spill response. To get a closer look at how dolphins might be inhaling oil, we needed to develop a novel approach."
The dolphins receive fish as a treat when they displays correct breathing behavior, the news release said. When they surface, the dolphins are filmed by a specially-designed, mounted camera on the edge of the pool that catches images of their exhalation of a cloud of mist into the air before inhaling fresh air. Some of the mist forms overhead to be breathed back in to the lungs.
Caretakers spent weeks helping the dolphins acclimate to the camera rig by making it part of training and enrichment sessions. Veterinarians also checked out the equipment to be sure the lasers used for 3-D holographic imagery would cause no harm to the dolphins' eyes.
"To capture the dolphin's exercise breathing, caretakers asked them to swim quickly, elevating their heart rates and increasing their oxygen demand," the blog post said. "They also jumped out of the water, diving and breaching."
The study is a between NOAA, the National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins University, the Coastal Response Research Center and the Center for Spills and Environmental Hazards, with funding from the Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group.
