9781422284865

Dive into the depths with...

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Archaeologists! Astronauts! Big-Animal Vets! Biomedical Engineers! Civil Engineers!

Climatologists! Crime Scene Techs! Cyber Spy Hunters! Marine Biologists! Robot Builders!

By K.C. Kelley

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2016 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3416-7 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3425-9 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8486-5

First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Produced by Shoreline Publishing Group LLC Santa Barbara, California Editorial Director: James Buckley Jr. Designer: Tom Carling, Carling Design Inc. Production: Sandy Gordon www.shorelinepublishing.com

Cover image: Dreamstimes.com/Frhojdysz

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kelley, K. C., author.

Marine biologists! / by K.C. Kelley. pages cm. -- (Scientists in action!) Audience: Ages 12+ Audience: Grades 7 to 8

Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4222-3425-9 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4222-3416-7 (series) -- ISBN 978-1-4222-8486-5 (ebook) 1. Marine biology--Juvenile literature. 2. Marine biologists--Juvenile literature. I. Title. QH91.16.K45 2016 578.77--dc23 2015007862

Contents

Action!. .................................................................... 6 The Scientists and Their Science....................... 12 Tools of the Trade................................................. 22 Tales From the Field!. .......................................... 32 Scientists in the News......................................... 44

Find Out More..................................................................... 46

Series Glossary of Key Terms............................................ 47

Index/About the Author.................................................... 48

Key Icons to Look For

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowl- edge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weav- ing together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connect- ed to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here.

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains ter- minology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

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Action!

hales can’t call 911. The massive marine animals, some of the largest creatures ever to live on Earth, have had to deal with humans entering their world for centuries. For a long time, people hunted whales. In fact, some countries still allow limited hunting. For the most part, though, the world knows how special whales are and tries to protect them. When a whale is in trouble and people can help, the call goes out for…marine biologists. In early spring 2014, a humpback whale (like the one at left) became tangled in the ropes connected to a heavy crab trap. A whale-watching boat packed with tourists saw the struggling animal near Monterey Bay in northern California. The people reported what they saw to local experts. The Whale Entanglement Team (WET) was called in. The group of daring scientists, divers, and boat pilots are like a strike team for whales in trou- ble. The team carefully approached the whale and attached a tracking device to its back.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND flukes  the wide, flat parts of a whale’s tail

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It could not, however, reach the ropes at that time due to darkness and heavy seas. The next day, the team members piloted a small boat toward the whale and were able to reach out with a pole and slice the rope. They then managed to grab more than 250 feet (76 m) of the rope, making it slightly easier for the whale to swim. That was all they could reach. The heavy crab trap still dangled like an anchor from the whale.With every stroke of its mighty tail, the rough rope cut into the animal’s skin. Over the next two-plus weeks, the whale was tracked as it swam slowly south toward the Santa Barbara Channel.Whale watching boats, government craft, and the satellites overhead all kept watch of the whale, a young adult about 25 feet (7.6 m) long. Finally, they determined that the whale was in real trouble. Also, the seas in the channel were safer for the boats and the animal.With flat water and little wind, making the final part of the rescue would be safe for all . . . probably. It was time to act. Climbing aboard a large ship from the National Oceanic and Aero- nautic Administration (NOAA), the government agency that cares for the sea, teammembers headed into the channel. Once they were near the whale, the WET team launched small boats that could approach it safely. As the whale slowly swam through the calm seas, almost within sight of land, the boats puttered close behind. The scientists on the boat all were wearing life vests, wet suits, and helmets. The inflatable boat was sturdy, but it would not withstand an accidental swipe from the flukes of a huge whale.

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The scientists tracked the whale throughout the morning, waiting for the right moment to try to slice away the last ropes and the heavy trap. The whale came to the surface to breathe—this was the moment. The team drove the boat right up behind the whale. Looking into the clear water, they stuck out a long pole with a very sharp knife at one end. Careful not to cut the sensitive flesh, they found the right spot. With a twist of the blade, the rescue was complete. The ropes spun off, the trap fell away, and the whale was free! “It was a phenomenal experience,” said Keith Yipp, a WET team member and marine biologist at SeaWorld. “These animals would per- ish if we didn’t intervene. It wasn’t their fault.” The best news? More than three months later, a group of students were on a whale-watching boat in Monterey Bay.They were taking part

As the tangled whale surfaces to breathe (spout at right), the WET team zips close in an inflatable. The long pole has a sharp knife at the end to slice through the rope binding the whale.

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A humpback whale rests for a moment in the ocean. The ability to help whales that have been injured by humans is a very satisfying part of the job of a marine biologist.

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in a whale count and studying them as part of a summer internship at the nearby aquarium. Several students saw a whale with a damaged tail. Photos were taken and compared to those of the whale that had been freed from the ropes. They were a match. “The last time I saw this whale is when we watched it swim free after disentangling it in May in the Santa Barbara Channel,” said Peggy Stap, a member of WET. “To know it swam all the way from there back to Monterey Bay is so amazing. It was wonderful to see it free and healthy.” Turns out whales can call 911, even if they can’t dial.

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The Scientists and Their Science 1

ore than 70 percent of the earth is covered by water. That wa- ter is the source of our life, of our rainwater, and of snowfall that melts. It brings warmth to shorelines, soaks up danger- ous gases from the air…and, of course, it’s great to swim in! The oceans of the world are filled with an amazing variety of ani- mals, from microscopic plankton to the largest animals ever to live on the planet. By studying the ocean and everything that lives in it, marine biologists are doing work that is vital to the health of our planet. To do that job, they don’t sit in a lab or spend time in dusty libraries. To find out what they need to find out, they are out in the oceans of the world, diving, discovering, and learning.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND plankton  an aquatic form of plant life

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What Is Marine Biology?

arine means having to do with the seas. Biology is the study of life. So marine biology is the study of life in the oceans. These scientists do study the animals of the sea, but they also study the world those animals live in. A branch of science called oceanog- raphy focuses on the water itself, but marine biologists have to make

At sea aboard a research ship, a scientist carefully examines samples of krill, a tiny fish that is an important food source for whales. Marine biologists often do their work aboard ships like this one.

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