Expedition into the Weddell Sea: Whales, Seals, and Seabirds is a research excursion aboard the French cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot, a Polar Class 2 rated ice breaker vessel, of the Ponant Science fleet. During the voyage we will travel from Ushuaia, Argentina through the northwest Weddell Sea and back between October 31, 2025 and November 12, 2025. We aim to determine the diversity, distribution, and abundance, of whales, seals and fur seals, and seabirds during the Austral Spring. To do this we will be using photo-identification methods with the assistance of Happywhale for baleen whales while contributing to the Weddell photo-identification seal catalog and collecting bioacoustics data of seal (and hopefully!) whale vocalizations. The data collected during this fairly understudied time in this region will help provide a better understanding of how marine mammals and birds are using the area during that seasonal transition period. This project in collaboration with Ponant Science is possible because of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (SPWRC) and is also in collaboration with the Marine Mammal Institute (MMI).
Dr. Renee Albertson (she/her) is a research affiliate at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. She collaborates with scientists and policy makers from Island Nations and Australia to evaluate whale migratory connections of the South Pacific and the Antarctic. Her other collaborations include multiple scientists within Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, where she studies metabolic rates and aerobic dive limits of whales and seabirds. Her research on the biology, physiology, and population structure of marine species keeps her knowledge current for teaching several field courses in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences.
MariAnna Hinojosa (she/her) is a recent Oregon State University alumna who during her undergrad worked with Dr. Albertson and the SPWRC to upload several years of humpback whale fluke photos and metadata into the Happywhale database. She currently works at Hatfield Marine Science Center doing Course Support and Special Programs coordination and looks forward to soon pursuing a graduate degree in humpback whale behavior and bioacoustics.
Follow along to see our daily recaps of the happenings and our preliminary findings!
