Background There is increasing tendency to assess the physical habitat of cetaceans by examining their spatial distribution and fine-scale behavioural responses in relation to abiotic (synoptic oceanographic) parameters. These include, inter alia, fine-scale bathymetry (depth, slope, etc.), seabed type, currents, real-time water temperature (satellite-derived), salinity, ocean height, frontal positions, prey distribution, and ocean colour (areas of high biological productivity). Synoptic oceanographic data are of overriding importance, since it is the gradients and extent of primary production and temperature contrasts which are the likely determining factors for marine mammal presence/concentration. Determination of these relationships can, on the large scale, enhanc

Want to find out more about this job? Join our Conservation Careers Academy to view the full details of this course, along with over 15,000 conservation jobs, courses, internships and volunteer placements each year globally, along with many other career-boosting benefits!