**EeMOLT Fall 2005 Update**

These are brief notes to keep you informed of what\'s happening with
eMOLT (Environmental Monitors on Lobster Traps). While I occasionally
submit a page of news to your local association newsletter, my intention
here is to write directly to you, the participants, with a little more
detail on the results to date.

*Temperature Record Analysis:*

Now finishing up our fifth year with bottom temperature probes at dozens
of locations around the Gulf of Maine and Southern New England
shelfedge, we can (thanks to your efforts) actually begin to conclude a
few things. We can say more than "ya, it has been unusally cold lately".
We can say things like, "ya, the temperature has been X standard
deviations less than the mean, Y". The values "X" and "Y" vary by
location and time, of course. We need at least a few years to conduct
these basic statistics. So, lets take David Johnson\'s site, for
example, where he has had a probe in the same location and depth for
most of the year since 2001 (Figure 1).
![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.5in" height="2.075in"}

Figure 1. Multi-year temperature record example.

Now, for each day of the year we can start to calculate averages and
typical deviations about that average. The "anomalies" are plotted in
Figure 2 for the case of several participants.
![](media/image2.png){width="3.2472222222222222in"
height="2.5930555555555554in"}

Figure 2. Anomalous temperature records

*Realtime temperature sensors*

As many of you are aware, we are working on the development of new
technology to have "realtime" bottom temperature so you do not have to
wait for nearly a year before you see your records. We hope to have a
unit available to demo at the 2006 forums.

*Catch vs Temperature Analysis*

I\'ll have to admit, when I started on this project several years ago, I
was ignorant to think that I may be able to say something about how
lobsters react to temperature change. As a physical oceanographer, not a
biologist, I had these grand schemes in the beginning. We were
originally asking every lobstermen to record their catch with every
haul. While we made some progress with the Thistle Electronic Logbooks,
that eventually failed. Now we are happy to get well documented
temperature records. However, if the participant does wish to keep
records of their catch , I am happy to work with it (as I have done in
the past by making plots overlaid with temperature) but I can not
guarantee any big breakthroughs. I am not qualified to make any
conclusions.

*Drifter Results from 2005*

Another component of the eMOLT project is observations of current. The
students at Southern Maine Community College continue to make drifters
for the eMOLT project and, in fact, are making them for other research
projects as well now. These drifters, each fitted with GPS units, are
used to track/simulate lobster larvae transport along the coast as well
as many other planktonic organisms such as harmful algal blooms. The
Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation has taken on the administrative duties
in contracting the students and supplying a number of research
institutions (WHOI, FOCB, UMASS/Dartmouth, USM, and NOAA) with this
instrumentation. The main purpose of these drifters is to validate the
numerical circulation models currently underdevelopment at various New
England universities (more on these numerical model results in the next
newsletter).

Both in 2004 and 2005, drifters were deployed by lobstermen. To see the
full story of each drifter deployed, visit the "Drifter Study" link
under [www.emolt.org](http://www.emolt.org/). Shown in Figure 3 below is
the result of all the 2005 drifter tracks.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.7625in" height="2.5in"}

Figure 3. Drifter Tracks 2005

You can see that some deployments were made in the Bay of Fundy, off
mid-coast Maine, off Cape Ann, and off Truro, Ma. Figure 4 (below) has
the details Billy Souza\'s deployment off Truro. It was caught in the
Gulf Stream in early October.

![](media/image4.png){width="2.8715277777777777in"
height="2.7381944444444444in"}

Figure 4. Billy Souza-deployed drifter track May-Oct 2005.

*Reminders*

Keep in mind that we will be collecting temperature probes during the
month of December and will be returning probes to you by March but those
wishing to keep their probes in for the winter are encouraged to do so.
Just let us know your schedule.

If you have any questions about eMOLT, call 508-495-2211, email
james.manning@noaa.gov) or contact your association representative.