My Research Question: How many more humpback calves were spotted earlier in the season than later?
Hypothesis: I predict that we will find more humpback calves later in the season because more will be born.
My Experience with the First Whale Observation: The whale observation at McGregor's Point on Maui went alright for me. What I liked most was finding out about the location for the first
Procedure:
1) Gather all of your materials and go to a place on Maui with a wide, clear view of the ocean (in this case, McGregor's Point).
2) Look out for any signs of whales.
3) When you find one or more whales, record the time and date of the observation on your data sheet.
4) Using your binoculars (if you have a pair), observe the number of whales, pod type, behaviors, and direction of travel. Be sure to record this information on the data sheet.
5) Use your clinometer to find the distance of the whale(s) and record this on your data sheet.
How to use a clinometer:
- Look through the tube at the top of the tool so that you can see the whale(s).
- Hold the hanging string in place against the protractor in the exact position it's in when you look through the tube.
- Record the number (the one less than 90) on a scratch sheet of paper. This is the angle of inclination of your view of the target.
- Find your elevation using a GPS and also record that on the scratch sheet of paper.
- Plug these two pieces of information into the equation Distance = Elevation x tan(angle of inclination).
- Solve this equation using a scientific calculator. On your calculator in this order, punch in the angle of inclination, tan, x (multiply), then the elevation.
- This number is the approximate distance from you to the whale(s) (in whichever unit of measurement you found your elevation).