A school of yellow snappers makes its way through mangrove roots in La Paz Bay in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Octavio Aburto-Oropeza will lead an expedition to explore the last untamed Mexican River, the San Pedro Mesquital.

Administered by National Geographic Mission Programs, the NGS/Waitt Grants Program makes grants between $5,000 and $15,000 for exploratory research - below is a list of the most recent awards granted. To date, the program has funded over 125 field projects. For more information on the program, please visit the NGS/Waitt Grants section of our website.

Anthropology

Grantee: Steven Dinero, Philladelphia University
Region: North America
Project: Living on Thin Ice - A Study of Subsistence Activity in an Age of Climate Change and Development in the Alaskan Arctic
Abstract: This project follows ten years of previous research undertaken in the Nets’aii Gwich’in hunter-gatherer bush community of Arctic Village, Alaska, (pop. approximately 160), located 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Drawing upon analyses addressing the social and economic adaptations undertaken by these former nomads as they settled in this and neighboring bush village environments, this research will broaden the investigation to include the increasingly apparent evidence of the impacts that climate change is having upon this and similar Alaska Native populations which yet rely upon a subsistence economy. The merit of this study also lies in the utilization of indigenous/native knowledge systems in order to compliment, aid, and assist the scientific community as it seeks answers and greater understanding of the nature and degree of climate change, as well as possible solutions to the impacts resulting from these changes.

Archaeology

Grantee: Bruno Frohlich, Smithsonian Museum
Region: Mongolia
Project: Human Occupations in the Gobi Desert, the Search for Burial Mounds and Caves
Abstract: The Gobi Desert is famous for its spectacular landscape and remarkable fossil records, but little is known of its human occupation throughout the last 4000 years. Recent expeditions into the Gobi Desert have yielded several finds suggesting significant human activity in this arid landscape. Large clusters of burial mounds, most likely Bronze Age khirigsuurs, and cave burials with extremely well-preserved (mummified) human remains have been reported in several regions of the Gobi. This project will focus on the exploration and reconstruction of human populations based on archaeological remains found in the Gobi. The results will include new knowledge and a greater understanding on how people survived and thrived in this often harsh environment. The project is a new initiative, and a joint undertaking by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian. The experience gained from seven years of previous field work in the Hovsgol aimag and from several archaeological rescue expeditions into the Gobi Desert will be helpful factors in gaining a more successful understanding of the lives of the people occupying the Gobi Desert for over more than 3000 years.

Grantee: Martin Porr, University of Western Australia
Region: Oceania
Project: Return to Oomarri - Dating and Preserving Northwestern Australian Indigenous Rock Art
Abstract: The aim of the study is to enhance the knowledge about the distinctive and contentious Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock-art of the Kimberley in north-western Australia in cooperation with one of its Indigenous Traditional Owners, Ambrose Mungala Chalarimeri. This collaborative project presents the opportunity to systematically record so far unknown rock-art images and specifically develop dating strategies in the respective region. Very little or imprecise information is available on the age of this particular form of art, so that every new research into this topic might dramatically alter our understanding of this field. The research team will re-visit Ambrose’s traditional country, Oomarri, and to produce a detailed digital record of the present rock-art under Ambrose’s guidance and subsequently apply digital enhancement techniques to analyse the distribution and composition of the art in as much detail as possible. The emphasis of this project will be on the recording of the rock-art and the identification of contexts with a high potential for different dating techniques and appropriate sampling within a clearly defined location.

Biology

Grantee: Emily Shepard, Swansea University, UK
Region: Argentina
Project: Free as a Bird? Highways, Byways and No-fly Zones of the Andean Condor
Abstract: The costs of flight increase with body mass until heavier bird species become reliant on gliding and soaring to move. The Andean condor is arguably the most extreme example of this as, incredibly, it cannot sustain level flight, even by flapping, without appropriate lift from slope updrafts and thermals. This dependence explains why condors are restricted to mountainous areas, within which they are thought to use well-defined flyways, like roads, which allow them to cover large distances and with supposed minimum cost. However, the existence of these flyways has never been investigated and it is not known how costs of flight vary with respect to the distribution and strength of updrafts. Critically, this relationship is likely to determine the condors’ ability to access different localities and thereby feed, breed and migrate. This study will use animal-attached Daily Diary (DD) and GPS data loggers to (1) reconstruct the flight paths of condors in three dimensions, (2) identify the energetic value of flyways and (3) assess the cost of transport affects condor behaviour and distribution.

What are the unique ecological processes that support this unusually large and productive fishery in the Mekong River Basin?

Grantee: Gordon Holtgrieve, University of Washington
Region: Asia / Cambodia
Project: Deciphering the Energetic Base for the World’s Largest Freshwater Fishery
Abstract: Fisheries of the lower Mekong River Basin are critical to Southeast Asia both as a food resource and driver of economic growth. Over 50 million people rely on the Mekong and Tonle Sap Lake fisheries for nutrition, income, and cultural identity. Despite its importance, there is little ecological information about the ecosystem and many scientific questions about the fishery remain unknown. A very basic but currently unknown question is: What are the unique ecological processes that support this unusually large and productive fishery? The long-term goal of this project is to quantify the energetic links within the Mekong-Tonle Sap food web to understand the combination of ecological conditions which support this highly productive ecosystem. This is a particularly pressing question since current proposals for hydroelectric dam projects threaten the long-term sustainability of the fishery by potentially removing the annual flood dynamics believed to be important for fish growth and survival. Advanced stable isotope analysis of fishes and their potential prey will be used to map feeding and energy relationships in the aquatic food web. We expect to find multiple resource-acquisition strategies among fish species, with some fishes focusing on terrestrial food sources and others near-shore or open-lake aquatic, but that a high proportion of the total fishery is dependent on maintaining connections with the surrounding forests.

Grantee: Julia Day, University College of London
Region: Africa
Project: Understanding why Africa’s Lake Tanganyika is to Biodiverse
Abstract: Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, containing 2000 species, is one of the most biodiverse freshwater habitats in the world, with over a third of its fauna unique to these shores. However, what sets it apart from other African Great Lakes is the diversity of endemic radiations, that include cichlid fishes, catfish, mastacembelid eels, gastropods, shrimps, crabs and ostracods. Lake Tanganyika therefore represents a natural laboratory in which to study evolution; yet the majority of research efforts have only focused on the cichlid fishes, while in contrast the remaining 86% of lake species have received very little attention. This neglect prevents generalities regarding the causes of lake diversity to be made, since evolutionary mechanisms that have led to the build up of cichlid fish diversity may not be the same for the majority of lake organisms. For example, climate induced lake level fluctuations have facilitated cichlid speciation, but their broader impact as a factor in generating biodiversity is unknown. As this unique ecosystem is threatened from increasing populations and possible climate change, understanding and assessing the origins and maintenance of its biodiversity is of high priority.

Geography

Grantee: Kanchan Thapa, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Region: Nepal
Project: Forgotten Tigers of Churia Habitat and their Ecology in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Abstract: Nepal’s estimate of 121 adult tigers does not take into account Churia habitat (young mountain landscape); hence total population size could be an underestimate. Past studies on tiger ecology have been focused in grassland and floodplain habitat but not across Churia habitat. This study, therefore, addresses a gap in our understanding of tiger and prey densities, habitat use, and food use by tigers across the important, yet little known Churia habitat and will be focused in Chitwan National Park. The team will use camera trap methods to determine tiger population density and line transects methods to determine prey density. Sign surveys will be used to estimate proportion of area occupied by tigers across seasons to determine seasonal habitat use patterns. Tiger scats will be collected to identify diet items (including wild and domestic animals) and determine prey preference in the Churia habitat. This project will complement the effort mentioned in the Tiger Conservation Action Plan for Nepal (2008-2012).

Geology

Grantee: Douglas Benn, University of Centre in Svalvard
Region: Nepal
Project: Catastrophic Lake Drainage - Investigation of Hazard Evolution in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal
Abstract: In recent decades, glaciers in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, have been thinning by ~0.4 m yr-1, encouraging the formation of potentially unstable lakes behind abandoned terminal moraines. Research to date has focused on the expansion of existing lakes and associated hazard mitigation issues, but little is known about the early stages of lake development, particularly how and why lakes cross the threshold to rapid growth, and the factors influencing lake stability. A better understanding of these issues is urgently needed, to identify at-risk glaciers and to develop long-term hazard mitigation strategies. This project aims to investigate the evolving outburst flood risks on Ngozumpa Glacier, Nepal. The focus is on the early stages of the evolution of a moraine-dammed lake, especially on rates and processes and also investigation the stability and structural integrity of the moraine dam.

Nautical Archaeology

Marigondon Cave, Cebu, Philippines. Photo ~ Carl Epp.

Grantee: John Peterson, University of Guam
Region: Asia
Project: Marigondon Cave, Cebu, Philippines - Archaeological and Paleonenvironmental Investications
Abstract: This project aims to conduct archaeological and paleoenvironmental investigations at the underwater Marigondon Cave offshore from Plantation Bay Resort, Mactan Island, Cebu City, Cebu, Philiipines. Global and regional sea level studies indicate that Marigondon Cave would have been above sea level during the last two full glacial periods, ca. 22,000 ybp and 38,000 ybp. Humans occupied Tabon Cave on Palawan Island, Philippines, and this suggests that Marigondon Cave may have been occupied during one or both of those periods. Initial exploration of the cave in March 2005 by divers from the National Museum of the Philippines confirm that silt and debris on the floor of the cave are susceptible to excavation and that the cave would have been a highly attractive locale for settlement during its periods of emergence above sea level. Discovery of archaeological deposits would be a significant contribution to Philippines regional archaeology; collection and analysis of paleoenvironmental data including pollen, phytolith, and dating of materials with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence will contribute paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatological data even if no archaeological materials are recovered.

Oceanography - Biological

Grantee: Igaratza Fraile Ugalde, Azi-Tecnalia
Region: North America
Project: Identifying the Natal Homing of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna in the Bay of Biscay Analyzing the Chemical Composition of Otoliths
Abstract: Atlantic bluefin tuna is a highly valued and heavily exploited species, and critical uncertainties regarding their population structure hinder effective management. Evidence shows the existence of two stocks: a western population in the Gulf of Mexico and an eastern population in the Mediterranean Sea; both of which migrate and mix in the North Atlantic. Electronic tagging studies and stable isotope measurements in otoliths indicate trans-Atlantic migrations and stock mixing between management zones. Bluefin tunas visit the Bay of Biscay during summer months, where they feed intensively before starting the trans-Atlantic migration. However, it still is not known which part of the population is visiting the Bay of Biscay and where they come from (Gulf of Mexico or Mediterranean Sea). In the recent years new research techniques have emerged, such as DNA secuentiation and microchemical analysis in otoliths. These new techniques have been applied in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, but little is known about the population structure is the Bay of Biscay.

Grantee: Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Region: North America
Project: An Expedition to the Last Untamed Mexican River and its Influence for the Sustainability of Wetlands in the Gulf of California
Abstract: The last untamed waterway in Mexico, the San Pedro-Mesquital is the last river in the entire country that has not been dammed. As a function of its relatively pristine state, the San Pedro-Mesquital crosses and nurtures unique ecosystems with rare floral and faunal assemblages, as well as singular traditional cultures ranging from the Huichol People in the high sierras to the Meztitlán swamp fishermen in the mangroves of the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve. This Biosphere Reserve holds approximately 38% of all the mangrove forests in the Gulf of California, and provides a large amount of ecosystem services not only for local communities, also for the entire gulf and the North American region. The ultimate objective of this project is to provide both a brief natural history description and a graphical baseline for the last well-preserved riparian ecosystem in Mexico.

September Awards by Discipline

Anthropology - 1
Archaeology - 2
Biology - 3
Geography - 1
Geology - 1
Nautical Archaeology, Underwater - 1
Oceanography, Biological - 2
Oceanography, Physical - 0
Paleontology - 0

September Awards by Region

Africa / Madagascar - 1
Asia - 5
Atlantic Ocean - 0
Central America / Caribbean - 0
Europe - 0
North America - 3
Oceania - 1
South America - 1