Thomas, Pershing Quoted in Press Herald Article on Using Ferry to Chart Ocean Changes
Andrew Thomas, an oceanographer at the University of Maine, and Andrew Pershing, an associate professor in UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences and researcher at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, were quoted in a Portland Press Herald article about Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences using the Nova Star ferry to study changes in the Gulf of Maine. The data collected along the ferry route includes water temperature, salinity levels and the composition of nutrients, according to the article. The collection is called a “time series” because the data is obtained over a period of time, the article states. While researchers also use buoys to collect data in the Gulf, this is the only data set in the region that covers a large area, Thomas said, adding the researchers enter the data into a national database so all scientists can use the information. Pershing said that although the data is basic, it increases in value as time passes because it allows scientists to observe changes in the environment. “It’s really sort of priceless,” he said.