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Research Biologist |
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Telephone: |
(206)-526-6396 |
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National Marine Mammal Laboratory |
Current Activities
As a member of the Polar Ecosystems Program, Mike Cameron is the lead for all NMML research pertaining to ice-associated seals (i.e., bearded, ribbon, ringed, and spotted seals) in U.S. waters. His research focuses on population abundance and distribution, seasonal movements and habitat requirements, foraging and diving behavior, and the potential impacts of climate change and the loss of sea ice. His recent research includes collaborative efforts with Alaska natives to investigate bearded seals and multiple Arctic and sub-Arctic research cruises to survey and tag ice-associated seals. In keeping with his interests to develop and use new techniques for data collection, Mike's future work will include using satellite-linked timed-depth, salinity and temperature recorders to better describe the preferred habitats of ice-associated seals and using unmanned aerial aircraft to survey ice seals deep in the northern pack ice.
Background
Michael received his B.S. in zoology with an emphasis on marine invertebrates at the University of Washington in 1993. For the following 3 years he worked as a wildlife biologist with NMML’s Antarctic Ecosystem Program, studying the diet and foraging behavior of chinstrap penguins and Antarctic fur seals and assisting with aerial surveys for Antarctic phocids. He earned a Ph.D. in conservation bology from the University of Minnesota in 2001 for his research on the population dynamics of Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. While at Minnesota, he was also involved in projects investigating the ecological niches of cave-dwelling Mexican bat assemblages and the importance of generalist predators (i.e. spiders) in wild rice paddies.
