There is great interest in understanding the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of marine animal populations, to support conservation efforts & inform fisheries management. This poses a difficult challenge because many key variables are not directly observable in the ocean, e.g., animals can typically only be seen when they come to the
surface, and the underwater physical landscape is largely unknown. Nonetheless, recent technological advances have led to the collection of new data sets, including telemetry
devices attached to individual animals to record their movements, fishing surveys, and fine scale seafloor maps. This project will focus on developing new statistical methods for the integration of several types of spatiotemporal data, to advance our understanding of the links between individual animals’ behavior and their long-term population dynamics and
distribution. The project is flexible, and the student can choose to work on other questions that are relevant to improving analytical methods for spatiotemporal ecological data.

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        Find out more HERE! >

Jumanah Khan, Patricia Manuel & Sara Spike (WP 1.1) organized another (their 2nd)  information session & exhibit for the Eastern Shore "Living with the seafloor" project for the Coldwater Seafood Festival in early summer in Lake Charlotte (with the Eastern Shore Archives). 

Scientists Discover Healthy Deep-Sea Coral Reef and New Seamounts in the Galápagos - Schmidt Ocean Institute

Joy Liu (WP 3) should successfully defend her MSc on Friday Dec 8, 2023! 

Jumanah Khan (WP 1.1) has completed her Master of Marine Management major project under the supervision of Dr. Floris Goerlandt. She is presenting her work at the Making Waves MMM presentations Friday, Dec 8 2023. Her project is titled:  "Do You Sea What I See:  Exploring the Representation of Place-Based Knowledge in Spatial Planning in Coastal Nova Scotia."

Patricia Manuel, Leah Fulton, & Sara Spike (WP 1.1) attended the Coastal Zone Canada 2023 conference in Victoria, BC this summer. 

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Sara presented our Eastern Shore work: "Living with the Seafloor: Exploring Local Knowledge of Coastal and Nearshore Benthic Spaces along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia"

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Leah presented her work using ArcGIS StoryMaps: "Harnessing Digital Storytelling with Maps to Empower Coastal Communities for Marine Stewardship and Conservation"

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Patricia & their MSP research team organized a special session on Marine Spatial Planning: "Coastal communities in Marine Spatial Planning: Connecting across the coastal zone." This group is part of research another OFI large research project Module M - "Social license and planning in coastal communities"

Leah Fulton (WP 1.1) has started a PhD at University of Victoria.