Nortek Supports USF Research Into Endangered Rice's Whale Habitat

Researchers from the University of South Florida (USF), supported by marine technology company Nortek, have completed an oceanographic expedition investigating the relationship between ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, and the habitat of critically endangered Rice's whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Conducted in August 2026 aboard the research vessel R/V W.T. Hogarth, the expedition involved recovering and redeploying two Nortek Signature 100 acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) in the De Soto Canyon region. The instruments are part of an ongoing research program examining how ocean currents influence zooplankton distribution and marine biodiversity.

 

The research forms part of the Rice's Whale Ecology, Associated Ocean Circulation and Habitat (REACH) project, supported by the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program. The program was established following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to strengthen scientific understanding and monitoring of Gulf Coast ecosystems. Researchers are studying the De Soto Canyon area, where the continental shelf drops sharply into deeper waters, to understand how physical ocean conditions influence zooplankton communities and habitat availability for Rice's whales.

 

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The research team uses surface and subsurface moorings equipped with current profilers, echosounders and environmental sensors to collect oceanographic data. Nortek's Signature 100 instruments can measure current velocities across water-column profiles exceeding 400 meters while simultaneously collecting acoustic information about organisms in the water. The researchers also use hydrophones, water samples, and conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements to examine the relationship between ocean circulation and biological activity. These observations will support high-resolution numerical models of circulation along the northern West Florida Shelf.

 

During the August expedition, Nortek specialists Jeremiah Ness and David Velasco assisted USF researchers with recovering, servicing and redeploying the two instruments after nearly six months underwater. The profilers had collected hourly current measurements and acoustic echograms at six-second intervals throughout their deployment. Ana Carolina Peralta, a USF researcher and co-principal investigator, said the team is investigating whether differences in zooplankton abundance and composition between sampling locations can be linked to water movement, temperature and salinity. Establishing these relationships could improve understanding of the environmental conditions associated with Rice's whale habitat.

 

The instruments have been redeployed for another nine months, with researchers planning to retrieve them in spring 2027. The next phase will compare acoustic observations with zooplankton samples collected using nets, allowing scientists to examine biological changes over longer periods than individual sampling events can capture. The research is expected to contribute to a more detailed understanding of Gulf circulation and the ecological conditions supporting one of the world's most endangered whale species.

 

Source: Nortek