DMC hosts talk about right whales, changing Gulf of Maine
A University of Maine professor of oceanography will give a talk titled “Plankton, Right Whales and Change in Gulf of Maine Ecosystem” at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 14 in Brooke Hall at the Darling Marine Center.
Recent changes in the timing and abundance of zooplankton coincide with changes in right whale sightings, says Jeffrey Runge, who also is a research scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
Runge will discuss possible future scenarios involving plankton due to ocean warming and increased acidification.
Runge’s research examines the ecosystem’s response to changes in zooplankton production, including larvae of commercially harvested fish and invertebrates, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Maine.
The talk is part of the DMC’s summer science seminar series. Renowned scientists in the field of marine biology engage the public in topics ranging from the studies of the Gulf of Maine to the exploration of the deep sea.
Registration is requested for the free public talk. For a disability accommodation, call 207.563.3146.