Where are cetaceans?
My research work aims to answer the question : where are cetaceans?
The answer is not simple, especially when, like me, we focus on the distribution of rare species such as deep-diving cetaceans. Beaked whales (Ziphius, Mesoplodons, Hyperoodons) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) spend most of their time below the surface and are therefore difficult to observe, but they are also threatened. My research aims to help the conservation of these species by studying the environmental parameters that influence their distribution in order to identify areas where they concentrate and thus improve knowledge of their distribution in the seas and oceans.
I am also interested in the effect that human activities could have on the distribution of cetaceans. In an increasingly anthropized and noisy ocean, cetaceans must find their place, but it is up to us to try to limit our impacts by understanding how our activities influence their distribution and by integrating this knowledge into the development of future projects.
Research Engineer in Spatial Analysis and Habitat Modelling
auriane.virgili@univ-lr.fr
Tel : 05 46 44 99 10 / 05 16 49 67 20
