A New World Standard for Ocean Research

Our climate is changing — of this we are sure. Marine life survival is becoming uncertain due to overfishing and changing migration patterns. Animals such as polar bears are becoming visibly anxious as their habitats begin to melt. Oceans are becoming warmer; the polar ice caps are melting.

The alarming thing is that we don't really know why. Information from beneath the sea's surface is very limited, despite the fact that continued human survival is directly linked to stable oceanic life.

The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), a $168-million conservation project, will put an end to this knowledge void. With it, thousands of marine animals around the world — from fish to birds to polar bears — will be tracked using acoustic telemetry technology. At the same time, we will be building a record of climate change — data that can be analyzed and then applied.

Headquartered at Dalhousie University, OTN unites leading ocean scientists around the globe. OTN is conducting the world's most comprehensive and revolutionary examination of marine life and ocean conditions, and how they are changing as the earth warms. OTN data will lead to a global standard for ocean management in a way never before possible.

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