Abstract: Informations about the book here: http://www.harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=28312

Abstract: In the current context of climate change, sea-surface temperature variation, sea level rise and latitudinal shifts of currents and hydrological fronts are expected to affect marine biodiversity of the sub-Antarctic Islands, particularly in coastal waters. Characterising the impacts of climate change on marine communities requires recording environmental modifications through the establishment of long-term monitoring. PROTEKER aims at the establishment of a submarine observatory consisting of multi-disciplinary research: oceanography, habitat mapping and species inventories, genetic, eco-physiological and trophic analyses. It also aims to provide scientific standards for the management of the Kerguelen Marine Reserve. Eighteen sampling sites of previous programs were revisited by scuba diving among which eight were selected for monitoring and were progressively equipped. ROV observations and beam trawling have also been conducted for contextualisation. These sites (Morbihan Bay (4), North (2) and South (2) coast) are monitored using photo/video surveys, temperature and salinity sensors, and settlement plots. Sessile communities collected on settlement plots will be characterised yearly through morphological and DNA techniques. Phylogeographical studies of target taxa are being conducted to improve our knowledge of endemicity and connectivity levels among sub-Antarctic islands.

Abstract: “[Daniel Pauly] is an iconoclastic fisheries scientist ... who is so decidedly global in his life and outlook that he is nearly a man without a country.”—NEW YORK TIMES “Daniel Pauly is a friend whose work has inspired me for years.”—TED DANSONDaniel Pauly is a living legend in the world of marine biology. He coined the influential term “shifting baselines,” in which knowledge of environmental disaster fades over time, leading to a misguided understanding of our world. He blew the whistle on the global fishing industry, alerting the public to the devastation of overfishing. And he developed data-driven research methods that led to groundbreaking discoveries. Daniel Pauly is also a man whose life was shaped by struggle. Born after the Second World War to a white French woman and Black American GI in Paris, Pauly’s childhood has been described as Dickensian. His father left before he was born and his mother, whose family did not accept her and her mixed-race son, fell prey to a manipulative Swiss couple who abducted Pauly under murky circumstances. He was taken to Switzerland, where he was treated cruelly as the couple’s servant.  Pauly escaped to Germany to attend university and, as a young man, travelled to the United States during the 1969 civil rights movement, where he met his father’s family and experienced a political and racial reawakening. From there, he went on to have one of the most decorated careers in the field of marine biology. The Ocean’s Whistleblower “weaves together the challenges of marine research with an astonishing coming-of-age story” (Andrew Sharpless, Oceana) and is told through interviews with colleagues, friends, and Pauly himself. A brilliant book about a brilliant man, The Ocean’s Whistleblower finally profiles one of the most influential scientists of our time.

Abstract: Bio-logging is a new interdisciplinary research area at the intersection of animal behavior and bioengineering. It involves several applications such as determination of specific parameters (attitude, acceleration, and position) via a new generation of mechatronic systems. The aim of this paper concerns the animal motion estimation problem using low-cost sensors fusion. A quaternion-based nonlinear observer for the tracking of rigid body attitude (orientation) and heading using measurements provided from low cost inertial and magnetic sensors is presented. The algorithm combines low-frequency, 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer, data with high frequency 3-axis gyroscope measurement. Then, to increase the performance and reduce the computational requirements, we exploit the sensor readings directly in the designed observer. Using the estimated attitude, the linear acceleration is then derived. This latter will be used in the future to evaluate the animal energy index and its mechanical work. Finally, some experimental results, using the measurements provided by an inertial sensor put on dog are given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Abstract: Mammals constitute a group of vertebrates that share a number of unique characteristics,such as nursing their young with milk, and having hair. The pattern of low mammal species diversity in the Arctic probably reflects a combination of mainly two driving factors: first, being homeotherms, mammals require a substantial amount of energy to sustain the various life processes, and the arctic regions are characterized by a very low availability of energy due to short seasons for primary production. Secondly, the occurrence of arctic mammals today reflects the reinvasion of the mammal species into the Arctic as the ecosystems were re-established following the deglaciation. This chapter discusses the characteristics of the arctic mammals, including their unique adaptations to life, and their role as both consumer and food base in the arctic ecosystems. Climate change in the Arctic may also alter the interactions within food webs.