/greenland
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join my PhD adviser, Dr. Kristin Laidre, as an observer for a polar bear aerial survey in East Greenland. Dr. Laidre led multiple survey teams across East Greenland in spring 2023 for the ultimate goal to estimate the abundance of the East Greenland polar bear subpopulation, a substantial feat that has never been done before. My role was as a data manager and as an observer, identifying polar bears and other marine mammals from a Twin Otter aircraft in remote inshore and offshore locations.
/bering strait
In September 2022, I participated as a marine mammal observer aboard the R/V Norseman II for a 10-day research cruise in the Bering Strait and southern Chukchi Sea as part of the Bering Strait project funded by NSF-AON (Arctic Observing Network). I led the marine mammal component and assisted in the recovery and deployment of three seafloor-mounted ocean moorings carrying physical and biogeochemical oceanographic sensors and whale acoustic instrumentation. I also supported CTD rosette deployments along transects to measure water properties and collect water for future analysis.
