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Drifting bird carcasses used to estimate Gulf oil spill's toll
Published: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 6:58 AM Updated: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 8:06 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register Press-Register
...Known as the ?Carcass Drift Study,? this particular experiment will help researchers try to learn how many birds carcasses may have disappeared at sea without ever making it to shore.
Federal officials have dropped 248 dead birds into the Gulf since July 16. An additional 66 synthetic dummy carcasses also were dropped. Crews then tracked the carcasses as they drifted around in the Gulf.
...
Pete Tuttle, who is heading up the Natural Resources Damage Assessment for Fish & Wildlife, said the results of the Gulf drift study will be combined with several others to reach an estimate of the total number of birds killed by the spill.
?The carcass drift study, that?s looking at if a bird is oiled offshore, what are the chances of it coming ashore?? Tuttle said. Scientists believe a good number of carcasses are likely to be eaten by predators such as sharks, and a lot of the dead birds will simply sink into the depths.
Full text:
http://blog.al.com/live/2011/08/drifting_bird_carcasses_used_t.html
Published: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 6:58 AM Updated: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 8:06 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register Press-Register
...Known as the ?Carcass Drift Study,? this particular experiment will help researchers try to learn how many birds carcasses may have disappeared at sea without ever making it to shore.
Federal officials have dropped 248 dead birds into the Gulf since July 16. An additional 66 synthetic dummy carcasses also were dropped. Crews then tracked the carcasses as they drifted around in the Gulf.
...
Pete Tuttle, who is heading up the Natural Resources Damage Assessment for Fish & Wildlife, said the results of the Gulf drift study will be combined with several others to reach an estimate of the total number of birds killed by the spill.
?The carcass drift study, that?s looking at if a bird is oiled offshore, what are the chances of it coming ashore?? Tuttle said. Scientists believe a good number of carcasses are likely to be eaten by predators such as sharks, and a lot of the dead birds will simply sink into the depths.
Full text:
http://blog.al.com/live/2011/08/drifting_bird_carcasses_used_t.html