Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.02.2016, Page 48

Panellists from the Lífríki foun-
dation conclude their presenta-
tion at the 2015 Arctic Circle con-
ference. Hands start to shoot up,
even before the rest of the audi-
ence finishes its polite clapping.
Despite the numerous upcom-
ing questions, no panellist looks
fazed. Not only do they expect
a discussion, they seem to wel-
come one.
Lífríki’s research is a
question-magnet, as it cen-
ters on the very politicized
humpback whale. Using new,
longer-lasting, and more
sensitive tagging devices de-
veloped by Icelandic compa-
ny Star-Oddi, the foundation
will gather a wide variety
of invaluable data from the
humpback whale. With this
data, they plan to distribute
information about humpback whales
and oceanic conditions for both scien-
tific and educational purposes.
Most of the audience’s questions
revolve around how Lífríki’s research
will interact with the pro- or anti-whal-
ing agendas. Again and again, panellists
state their intention to present their data
in an honest, holistic, and unbiased form.
Still, the questions continue. Even I asked
them, months later, when I spoke with
Lífríki’s educational and research coor-
dinator, Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir.
Tag teaming
Perhaps their expectation of and will-
ingness to answer questions stems from
a core part of the foundation’s structure,
which relies heavily on discussion and
communication between seemingly di-
vergent parties. Lífríki is composed of
a wide variety of experts, and depends
upon a wide variety of technologies. At
the Arctic Circle conference, for exam-
ple, their panel consisted of a biologist,
a game designer, a marketing specialist,
and an engineer, to name a few.
The diversity of their team is essen-
tial in carrying out their goal, which
involves not only tagging whales, but
also gathering, organising, and relay-
ing data. “This core team has brought
us quite far. We have specialists in every
corner, and once we start producing,
we’ll need even more scientists, teach-
ers, and designers,” Edda tells me.
Tagging technology
As evidenced by their assorted team
members, the Lífríki foundation draws
on several levels and types of innova-
tion. The basis of the project, however, is
the aforementioned new and improved
tagging device design produced by an
Icelandic technology company, Star-
Oddi.
This new tag not only stays on the
whale for a longer time, it can gather a
wider variety of information. The lon-
gevity of the tag gives it a greater re-
search potential, as the foundation can
gather more geographically and tempo-
rally consistent data regarding the whale’s
movement and oceanic conditions.
In addition to its longer lifespan,
the tag is also less invasive. Past tags
have always been more harpoon-like,
as they’re inserted directly into the
whale’s body. This tag, however, is more
belt-like, and fits around the whale’s
back tail. It even has a silicone surface
and adaptable joints, so as not to bother
the humpbacks as they swim.
The destination of data
Despite working with numerous types
of expertise, Edda notes that all mem-
bers are in constant contact, and often
go back and forth with ideas. With this
multi-talented team, the Lífríki founda-
tion will relay data from the tag in sever-
al ways: in the form of raw data, reports
in scientific journals, and educational
material for children.
Rather than promoting marketing
strategy or political agenda, the foun-
dation aims to make people engage
with the ocean in productive, creative,
and interesting ways. Ultimately, Edda
notes, “we want to put science in human
language and make it interesting, fun,
and engaging.”
Follow that whale
Part of this engagement involves incor-
porating young voices into conversa-
tions about the ocean. As opposed to
many research foundations that spe-
cifically cater to scientists and politi-
cians, Lífríki encourages interactions
between children and data. To that end,
they are currently designing and devel-
oping an online encyclopaedia, various
app-based educational games for chil-
dren and educational materials for the
classroom.
The games, made with the help of
Cape Copenhagen, will incorporate the
whale tracking data, along with oceanic
environmental data (such as tempera-
ture and salinity), allowing children
to “follow a whale” in real-time and
engage in various fun problem-solving
tasks while learning valuable knowl-
edge about the ocean.
Children won’t only learn about
humpback whales through Lífríki’s
games, however—the information of-
fered also will also provide insight into
other marine organisms, such as plank-
ton. Focusing on an organism located
high in the food chain, like the hump-
back whale, means that other, smaller
organisms and ever-changing oceanic
conditions play a part in the application
as well.
Children are the future
The ocean, in short, will be presented
as a complex ecosystem, of which all
organisms are an important part. Get-
ting children involved is related to the
current climate crisis, which has an es-
pecially grave impact on marine organ-
isms.
“Children will be the ones to make
decisions in the future. We want to give
them the opportunity to be incredibly
well-informed,” Edda tells me, noting
increasing ocean acidification, higher
accumulation of garbage in the ocean,
and rising levels of plastic in seabirds’
digestive systems as some of the fea-
tured subjects. “We also place great em-
phasis on providing the kids with tools
they can use to take meaningful action,”
Edda continues, “through small, doable
steps that they can easily resort to if
they wish to have a positive impact. For
instance, they’ll learn how even a small
plastic drinking straw can cause major
harm to individual marine animals, and
how we can prevent that from happen-
ing. Basically, we want to clearly demon-
strate how every small action counts.”
The political fray
Of course, translating data—especially
when it’s about an organism as politi-
cally touchy as the whale—comes with
certain risks and implications, and even
more so when it’s so strongly linked to
climate change.
When asked about the potential hu-
manisation of whales in the children’s
“follow your whale” game, Edda admits,
“Sometimes what we will show will be
emotional and evoke some emotional
feelings among people.” However, she is
quick to assert that the foundation will
not force ideas and will simply present
information that reflects the true daily
happenings of the ocean.
Lífríki’s determination to relay hon-
est data has been positively received,
Edda says, with the problem’s urgency
becoming increasingly apparent to
the public. Of course, there are always
detractors—the foundation has heard
hesitations, and even accusations, from
pro- and anti-whaling groups alike.
Edda tells me that all data should be
honest, though “when people are trying
to speak for conservation or its opposite,
they can often be bit biased, and their
research might only be based on the
narrow part of the whole story.”
The dangers of scientific research, it
seems, lie not only in incorporating per-
sonal bias, but also in relaying narrow
or limited data. By generating a com-
prehensive and comprehendible game
system, the foundation aims to limit
bias, and effectively illustrate the actual
conditions of the world’s oceans.
Reasons for research
Despite the challenges in studying such
a politically charged organism, Edda is
confident that the humpback is the best
oceanic ambassador to start with. Not
only does the humpback whale travel
far and wide, but it also offers valuable
information about the oceans, which
Edda calls “the heart of the planet.”
While Lífríki will have more politi-
cal accusations and obstacles to work
around in the future, the foundation
seems confident that they can shed
more light on and draw more interest in
the wide swathes of unexplored ocean.
Given the varied technology and di-
verse platforms they ŕe working with,
what can one do but swim along—even
if just for the ride?
Getting In With The
Whales: The Politics
Of Research
16
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 2 — 2016
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- The NorTherN LighTs Bus
- The BeauTifuL souTh CoasT
- The VoLCaNiC PeNiNsuLa-reykjaNes
- goLdeN CirCLe & The seCreT LagooN

-
ExpEriEncE thE bEautiful icElandic wondErs
by Rebecca Conway
Illustration by by Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir