[ocean sounds] [music throughout] Narrator: Cape Cod, MA is known for its beautiful beaches. This scenic landscape is also home to one of the most frequent marine mammal stranding sites in the world. [dolphin breathing] [dolphin breathing] Narrator: Scientist know very little about what causes these animals to strand. What has been proven is that a quick and efficient response in these moments is a matter of life and death. Katie Moore: If we can get there quickly and provide supportive care they have a much better prognosis in terms of survival. Narrator: Katie Moore works on the front lines, as the Deputy Vice President of Conservation and Animal Welfare at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Through Moore’s fine-tuned rescue efforts, she has increased the survival rate from 14% to 75%, but the question remains: Could it be possible to predict, rather than react to, these events? Katie Moore: If we develop an algorithm that pieces together the different variables that may be causing mass strandings or driving driving them, we'd have the ability to then prevent them. We can have teams out on the shore, looking for animals in those hotspots, knowing that all those variables have come together, and this is the likely point in time where we are likely to see it. We can also have teams ready to respond, so that if they do strand, we are there that much faster, and more animals will survive the event. Narrator: In Cape Cod, the annual number of stranded animals ranges from less than 10 to over 200. Some of the most affected species include pilot whales and whitesided dolphins, creatures that are typically found in deeper water, rather than along the coast. The ongoing search for answers began 400 miles away at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in Sterling, VA. There, fellow marine biologist Desray Reeb had some initial thoughts on triggers for these events. Desray Reeb: For the large proportion of these strandings the animal are across the ages, in pretty good health, and there's no really immediate evidence as to why they actually strand. [water sound] Narrator: Geomagnetic perception, the ability to navigate using Earth’s magnetic field, is a feature thought to exist in marine mammals. Could changes in the magnetic field confuse the animals? sensors like magnetometers can detect changes - called geomagnetic pulses or storms - One cause of such changes is activity from the sun known as space weather. Sensors like magnetometers can detect changes Desray Reeb: Geomagnetic perception is one of the theories. I thought, well, hmmm...if a magnetometer can pick it up, maybe the animals actually can pick it up. Dr. Reeb brought her hypothesis to Antti Pulkkinen, Research Astrophysicist from the Heliophysics department at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Antti Pulkkinen: The coolest thing was we realized that nobody had really taken a cold, hard data science analysis look at this problem Narrator: By combining Katie’s records on marine mammal strandings in Cape Cod and Antti’s records of the changes in Earth’s magnetic field, the team of researchers had a starting point. Katie Moore: What we are trying to look at here was if there was a potential driver or relationship or correlation between the occurrence of mass strandings and any solar activity. Antti Pulkkinen: So, the data we have correlated or analyzed so far is information about local geomagnetic conditions. We have long data records from geophysical observatories of the local geomagnetic field variations and marine mammal strandings. Narrator: When the team analyzed all the data, they found that measurements from the the same time period or random time periods produced similar results, meaning that there is no obvious relationship between geomagnetic changes and stranding in Cape Cod. If space weather wasn’t the trigger, what could be? Desray Reeb: The easy fix correlation between the geomagnetic pulse and “Ohh! A stranding!” doesn't seem to be very evident, but what it does show is that there are multiple variables involved in this equation. The geomagnetic storms could be one very small part of it - significant still - but it looks like there are multiple oceanographic and environmental elements Narrator: The scientists considered what other variables may exist in the air or water that could change animal behavior. Tides or winds could be disruptive. Ocean color - measurements of the water’s chemical and particle content - Perhaps sea surface temperature was a factor too. With the help of data from NASA Earth Science missions, they could also explore these possibilities. [Antti talks to team] Narrator: With more data in hand, it was time to expand the team. They recruited statisticians, and the expertise of NASA Earth Science data analyst and oceanographer Erdem KarakÖylÜ. Erdem KarakÖylÜ: A data set, no matter its shape or content, it always has a story to tell. Trying to figure out how the different data are connected requires a wide diversity of stills and background knowledge. Katie Moore: For example, I'll be explaining how a mass stranding how we respond to try and understand why we are presenting the data in a certain way, and my colleagues from NASA will look at me and ask questions that I wouldn't think to ask, because I take for granted my understanding, and they are coming at it from a totally new angle with no background. Narrator: The group hopes to combine these data sets in a way that reveals a pattern, allowing them to predict the likelihood and location of mass strandings before they happen. Desray Reeb: We've really just slowly peeled the first layer of this onion back. I think there is so many more layers that still need to be addressed and looked at. I hope that we can actually find additional collaborators and funding partners to really bring all the data that is really available to really give this the study and the scrutiny that it deserves. Antti Pulkkinen: And we are also going to make all these data sets available to the entire scientific community, so that we can utilize the entire scientific community to attack and approach this problem. and approach this problem. Narrator: The project’s legacy rests not only in a predictive tool, but also as an example for collaborative research moving forward. Erdem KarakÖylÜ: I think that there will be other things that that people might be able to take and run with maybe add more data. I'm hoping also that it will be a model for how projects can then be open to the wider public. [rescue volunteers talking] Narrator: With the potential for an even broader collaboration ahead, Katie's rescue team is optimistic that they will gain a deeper understanding of strandings - and ultimately - save more lives. Katie Moore: The ability to release animals after they have stranded is tremendous. When we do that, that's the best feeling in the world after all that hard work. Desray: those questions that seem unanswerable, if you give them time, and support, and effort, and put people on them, we can do amazing things. [music] [water sounds] learn more at www.nasa.gov/beachings special thanks to International Fund for Animal Welfare. All marine mammal stranding activities are conducted by International Fund for Animal Welfare under a permit agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. special thanks to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [tone] NASA Heliophysics [spacecraft beeps] NASA [spacecraft beeps] NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center www.nasa.gov/goddard