Skip to main content
Ingenium Logo

You are leaving IngeniumCanada.org

✖


This link leads to an external website that Ingenium does not control. Please read the third-party’s privacy policies before entering personal information or conducting a transaction on their site.

Have questions? Review our Privacy Statement

Vous quittez IngeniumCanada.org

✖


Ce lien mène à un site Web externe qu'Ingenium ne contrôle pas. Veuillez lire les politiques de confidentialité des tiers avant de partager des renseignements personnels ou d'effectuer une transaction sur leur site.

Questions? Consultez notre Énoncé de confidentialité

Ingenium The Channel

Langue

  • Français
Search Toggle

Menu des liens rapides

  • Ingenium Locations
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Join
Menu

Main Navigation

  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners

Glacier the whale: Skeleton composting and 3D modeling

Share
10 m
Nov 12, 2020
Categories
Earth & Environment
Categories
Fisheries
Sciences
Media
Article
Profile picture for user Dr. Gordon Price
By: Dr. Gordon Price
Associate professor at Dalhousie University
Dr. John Phillips
Design Engineer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Sylvie Jones
Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
The photo shows the carcass of Glacier, a North Atlantic right whale, on land. A number of people are standing next to the carcass. A large piece of construction equipment sits nearby.
Photo Credit
Department of Fisheries and Oceans/Stephanie Ratelle

Following the death of a North Atlantic right whale (NARW) named Glacier, a Canadian research team embarked on a project to create a 3D model of his skeleton and to compost the remains.  

“Glacier's death is symbolic of the impacts of human activities,” says Dr. Gordon Price, an associate professor leading the Innovative Waste Management Research Program at Dalhousie University. “Preserving his skeleton is another effort to remind the public of the desperate struggle to protect this species from extinction.”

In July 2017, Glacier's remains were sent to Dalhousie University's Faculty of Agriculture, where a research team, including Dr. Gordon Price, Christopher Nelson, and Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark, prepared to compost Glacier's skeleton. This project involved the support and cooperation of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, who have been deeply involved in the conservation and enforcement efforts to protect NARWs.

 Composting the skeleton

Baleen whale bones are often rich with oils and grease that can leak out from preserved skeletons over time and become quite smelly. Some whales on display in museums around the world still have oils leaking out after 100 years on display! Many of the current methods for removing the oils involve use toxic solvents, such as Trichloroethylene, that can be human carcinogens and harmful to local ecosystems. Composting is an approach that takes advantage of naturally occurring microorganisms to decompose organic materials. This technique is typically used for turning organic wastes — such as residential green wastes, animal manures, or other decomposable matter — into compost that can be recycled back into soil. Previous research by the Dalhousie team composting Minke and Blue whales had shown the potential for cleaning and degreasing Glacier's skeleton through a combination of composting and other more environmentally benign methods.
 

A person in white lab coverings, a face shield, and yellow gloves stands by the opening to a large freight container. The carcass of a decomposing North Atlantic right whale can be seen.
Photo Credit
Dr. Gordon Price, Dalhousie University

Drone photo of Dr. Gordon Price beside the freight container with Glacier's remains.

“Glacier's remains arrived from Prince Edward Island, post-necropsy, packed into a freight container on a sunny, hot July day,” explains Dr. Price. “When I opened the doors it was pretty smelly and not a pretty sight! Glacier's remains were carefully removed from the container and placed on 'beds' of absorbent feedstocks, acting as sponges for any leaking material.” 

A large pile of wood shavings and sawdust sit in a grassy field. Trees are visible in the background.
Photo Credit
Dr. Gordon Price, Dalhousie University

A mixture of wood shavings, agricultural bedding, and sawdust was used to cover the bones for the first stage of composting, decomposing exposed tissue and surface oils.

Over the course of several months, the compost piles with Glacier's bones were monitored for fluctuations in temperature and regularly excavated to check on their condition. Compost piles can get really hot, upwards of 60°C, and that can soften bones if they are not managed carefully. The regular monitoring of the compost piles also helped the research group make sure the bones were being degreased. 

An aerial view shows a group of people standing amongst the brown sawdust as they document a whale’s bones. Grass can be seen around the perimeter of the image.
Photo Credit
Dr. Gordon Price, Dalhousie University

A team works to tag, photograph, and measure Glacier’s bones.

Assembling the skeleton

After months in several compost piles, a group of volunteers consisting of Grade 11 students from the Cobequid Educational Centre, university staff, and graduate students worked over two days to help bring Glacier back into the light. His bones were carefully uncovered and removed by hand from the compost piles, and any debris was brushed off. 

“Each bone was examined for damage and weighed, as part of the ongoing research on changes bones undergo from composting,”  says Dr. Price.

 

An aerial view shows the bones of a North Atlantic right whale, laid out on white tarps in a field.
Photo Credit
Dr. Gordon Price, Dalhousie University

Glacier’s full skeleton, reconstructed on tarps at the beach.

One year after arriving at Dalhousie University, Glacier's full skeleton was finally put back together. Over seven long and intense days of tagging, photographing, and measuring Glacier's bones, the full skeleton was reconstructed with the help of Dr. Paul Nader, Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at Lincoln Memorial University. 

With careful excavation, the position of the bones remained intact even after all the tissue had decomposed around it. In one picture, you can clearly see the digits from Glacier's hand bones and even get a sense of the size. 

A brown image, dominated by wood chips and sawdust, reveals the hand bones of Glacier the North Atlantic right whale. A yellow line on the image indicates one metre in length, showing how massive the bones are.
Photo Credit
Dr. Gordon Price, Dalhousie University

The digits of Glacier’s hand bones can be seen in this image; the yellow one-metre stick shows the impressive width of his hand.

After making sure Glacier was mostly intact, the bones were brought indoors for storage and a more personal approach to degreasing: the soaker tub. Each bone was taken through a 14- to 21-day soaking using a strong degreasing dish detergent and constant aeration, and then allowed to air dry in the storage facility. Bones were regularly weighed, to continue tracking changes over time and after each of the degreasing treatments.

Large white bones are submerged in a clear liquid, inside a blue storage container.
Photo Credit
Ryan Bell | Dalhousie University

Each bone was taken through a 14- to 21-day soaking using a strong degreasing dish detergent and constant aeration, and then allowed to air dry in the storage facility.

Creating 3D scans of the bones

After Glacier's bones had undergone the soaker tub degreasing process, each bone was carefully archived digitally using a handheld Artec EVA 3D scanner. 

“The 3D scans of the bones are intended to serve as another piece of Glacier's legacy, to help in the education and conservation efforts for North Atlantic right whales, and all other endangered marine species,” says Dr. Price.

The 3D scans are being used to build interactive models, such as the ones below, for everyone to access. The digital files can be used to reconstruct Glacier's skeleton digitally and placed into virtual reality spaces, enhancing the interactive experience with the display. 

In order to build these virtual environments, the Dalhousie University teamed up with the Interdisciplinary Design Lab led by Dr. John Phillips at the University of Guelph. Along with contemporary artist and virtual reality (VR) designer Thoreau Bakker, the collaborative team worked with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to design and build a VR experience of Glacier housed at the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton, NB.  

This is an ongoing project for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in an attempt to bring Glacier to be displayed in his final home at the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre in Moncton, NB. Educational tools and stories will continue to be developed to further promote the conservation story, and to highlight the urgent need for continued action and awareness.  

In the final article in this four-part series, read how Canadian regulations are striving to protect the North Atlantic right whale.

Skeleton - North Atlantic Right Whale by techno-science3d

Cervical vertebrae - North Atlantic Right Whale by techno-science3d

Tags
Species at risk, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dalhousie University, University of Guelph, North Atlantic right whale, oceans, science, 3D scanning, 3D model, composting, necropsy, Gulf of St Lawrence
Author(s)
Profile picture for user Dr. Gordon Price
Dr. Gordon Price

Dr. Gordon Price is an associate professor at Dalhousie University leading the Innovative Waste Management Research Program. He specializes in studying the decomposition of organic matter in natural and human managed systems, such as agricultural soils, composting facilities, and forest ecosystems. He has a strong interest in resource management and ecosystem conservation issues.

Profile picture for user Dr. John Phillips
Dr. John Phillips

Dr. John Phillips has been working as a Design Engineer for the past 16 years. John tackles multidisciplinary problems with a diversity of software tools and advanced manufacturing methods, to provide unique solutions to problems in the fields of science, engineering, and the arts. He has provided products for groups such as NASA and the European Space Agency as well as custom solutions for the medical industry, agricultural/food sector, professional artists, and marketing tools for entrepreneurs.

User profile image
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Follow

Our mission is to ensure Canada's aquatic ecosystems and fisheries are sustainable and economically successful. We also keep Canadian waters safe and secure.
 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada logo

Profile picture for user Sylvie Jones
Sylvie Jones

Sylvie works in education at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. She has many years of experience in informal science education, and is passionate about making science and technology engaging and accessible to all. With a background in mechanical engineering, Sylvie strongly believes in the importance of encouraging underrepresented groups to pursue opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM).

Related Stories

A spliced photo, from left to right: Shaun the Sheep in front of a model of ESA’s European Service Module, a top view into a red bucket containing thousands of light-brown, rod-shaped pellets, and a toddler wearing a wool hat and wool sweater holds a grownup’s finger.

3 things you should know about why wool keeps us warm, and about its surprising uses in the garden and in space.

A large impact crater viewed from the rim, a woodern spoon full of small yellow grains, a close up of a forearm being tattooed.

3 things you should know about the untapped potential of millet, the permanence of tattoos, and asteroid airbursts

The thirty or so Mexican peasants who helped clear the Bacubirito meteorite, not far from Bacubirito, Mexico, 1902. N. Rosst, “La grande météorite de ‘Bacubirito’ (Mexique).” La Nature, 14 February 1903, 173.

A blaze in the northern skies and a cinder of sidereal fire: The Bacubirito meteorite

A rear view of a person wearing a yellow coat and backpack in winter, a close-up view of bright red poinsettias with small yellow central flowers.

Two things you should know about the science of wind chill, and the Orion spacecraft's selfies.

Three images side by side, Canada’s White Glacier, dried mealworms shown on a round wooden platter, and a pair of hands rubbing together, covered in soap bubbles.

3 things you should know about insects as an important source of protein, the science superpowers of soap, and monitoring glaciers in Canada’s Arctic

Three images side by side, plastic-wrapped cucumbers, a woman with an inflamed shoulder, and the James Webb Space Telescope.

3 things you should know about plastic-wrapped cucumbers, the James Webb telescope, and inflammation

Three images side by side, grocery shelves full of eggs in clear trays, coral reefs seen from space, and a map of Canada divided into four differently coloured shapes.

3 things you should know about egg refrigeration, coral reef satellite maps, and watersheds

Autumn vista of a river winding between pine trees and snow-capped mountains.

AI-Generated sound therapy for critically ill patients

A wide view of the underwater room in the RIPPLE EFFECT exhibition; the walls, floor, and ceiling are blue and information about water conservation adorns the walls.

A refreshing approach: Students create virtual exhibition to inspire water conservation

A spliced, three-part image depicts several unwashed potatoes on a white background, several springtails on ice pellets, and a black and white view of Saturn’s crater-rich moon Mimas, dominated by a very large impact crater on the right.

3 things you should know about PEI potato wart, Saturn’s moon Mimas, and animals with built in antifreeze.

Tomanowos, better known as the Willamette meteorite, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York. Anon., “Ça et là, par l’image.” Le Samedi, 22 February 1947, 8.

Tomanowos, a visitor from the sky or Moon: A brief look at the largest North American meteorite known today

A spliced, three-part image depicts a green-and-red plastic gadget attached to a cow’s tail, a composite image showing hundreds of meteors, and a close-up of a pair of glasses sitting on top of an open book.

3 things you should know about tech-enabled cows, meteors, and presbyopia

Footer

About The Channel

The Channel

Contact Us

Ingenium
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Channel

    • Channel Home
    • About the Channel
    • Content Partners
  • Visit

    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
    • Canada Aviation and Space Museum
    • Canada Science and Technology Museum
    • Ingenium Centre
  • Ingenium

    • Ingenium Home
    • About Ingenium
    • The Foundation
  • For Media

    • Newsroom
    • Awards

Connect with us

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest Ingenium news straight to your inbox!

Sign Up

Legal Bits

Ingenium Privacy Statement

© 2023 Ingenium

Symbol of the Government of Canada
  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners