“Researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that will help predict endangered whale habitat, guiding ships along the Atlantic coast to avoid them. The tool is designed to prevent deadly accidents and inform conservation strategies and responsible ocean development. 

Using an AI-powered computer program that learns from patterns detected between two vast databases, the researchers said their method improved upon present abilities to monitor the ocean for the distribution of important marine species, such as the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale…

The information analyzed by the computer model includes all the underwater glider and satellite-based data collected by scientists at the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership dating back to 1992…

The underwater gliders are autonomous, torpedo-shaped vessels that zip along under the ocean surface of the mid-Atlantic coast. They are designed to measure many different aspects of seawater, including temperature, salinity, current strength and chlorophyll levels. The gliders also bounce sound waves off schools of fish to gauge their size and record the underwater calls of whales and other marine mammals, locating them in time and space. Satellite data includes measurements of sea surface temperature, water color, and fronts, among others.”

From Rutgers University.