A humpback whale in the Gulf of Maine. Courtesy of J. Michael Williamson / WhaleNet.
Tag in place, Stephanie prepares to enter the North Atlantic. Photos by Paul D. Columbo.
Stephanie enters the water.
For a lucky few marine animals, getting stranded on a beach does not mean certain death. Instead, it leads to a period of rehabilitation, and then the chance to wear a satellite tracking device.
The idea is not to bother the animal but to give it a chance to "work" for science. Specifically, they take part in a marine animal tracking program run by WhaleNet, a National Science Foundation-supported science investigation of the natural history of marine animals out of Wheelock College, Boston.
WhaleNet is directed mainly at middle-school children, but the thousand-odd daily users range in age from elementary school to college, says J. Michael Williamson, a Wheelock biologist who spawned the program in 1994.
The whales, seals and turtles on WhaleNet are feeding the Internet's growing appetite for real, up-to-date science data that can be fed to classrooms around the world.
Spies in the sky
At the least, WhaleNet can serve as a node of information on marine mammals with a list-serve, links to marine biology institutions and the opportunity for kids to query "real" scientists -- and get answers.
But the real beauty of WhaleNet is its satellite tracking data on seals, turtles and, yes, whales in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Data on the positions of seven turtles and marine mammals are currently posted by scientists in the field. Then classes can use the data to do mapping, graphing, data analysis and critical thinking. After the kids chart the animals' movement, they can try to figure out why they are moving that way, tapping additional resources -- on and off Web -- as needed.
Just for a taste, we tapped into a map showing the movements of Stephanie, a hooded seal, during 1996 and 1997. 
As we read the map, we pondered the questions Williamson had posed about her heading, rate of travel and normal habitat. He even wanted to know which location data were likely erroneous -- a question designed to elicit critical thinking. And he wondered why she was moving as she was.
On this map, we saw a hint of the answer: Stephanie was skirting the edge of an ice shelf off Newfoundland in the bitter cold of February, 1997, presumably on an extended fishing trip along the margin of the shelf.
Thar she blows
Desperate to find a whale on WhaleNet, we located the right whale Metompkin, whose movements were tracked during the summer of 1996, while she journeyed from Florida halfway across the Atlantic. (Heading for a wine tasting in the Loire Valley, we figure.)
WhaleNet also gives access to a map generator and a mileage estimator to help students understand movement information. (Did you know The Why Files covered animal migrations?)
How do people respond to WhaleNet? Williamson was kind enough to forward some comments.
"I love whales! Do you have a fan club?""My son is going to flip when he sees what I found for him (he's asleep right now). This is just incredible! I homeschool him, and we were just talking about careers in marine sciences and I'm just so blown away to see your web page."
"The site is great and the teachers will be fascinated I am sure."
One caution: WhaleNet is not for faint-hearted surfers, as navigation is a bit gnarly, changes are frequent, and deciphering the tracking data takes effort.
But those who persevere will be rewarded with the chance to do science based on reality, as Williamson says. "There's a need for doing science with real data, versus 'cookbook' science. You can take data that scientists input once a week, and plot it, do whatever you want to do. The activities are as varied as the teachers' imaginations."
Help wanted: students to participate in spaceborne plant research.
