National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program field research records, 1961-1973 : Wetmore Panama collection.
Close
Print
Show Menu
The Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program (POBSP) was initiated in 1962 when the Smithsonian Institution entered into a grant agreement with the Department of Defense. From January 1963 through June 1969 Smithsonian Institution employees undertook biological surveys in an area of the Pacific Ocean spanning the equator and extending from latitude 30 degrees north to 10 degrees south and from longitude 150 degrees east to 180 degrees west, an area dotted with clusters of islands and atolls. The major goals of the program were to learn what plants and animals occurred on the islands, the seasonal variations in their numbers and reproductive activities, and the distribution and population of the pelagic birds of that area. Emphasis was placed on the banding of birds in an effort to determine migration, distribution, and abundance of pelagic sea birds. During the six and a half years of field work 1,800,000 birds were banded; approximately 150,000 observations of pelagic birds at sea were made; and biological surveys of varying intensity were made on several islands. The present folder contains lists and notes on the collections of birds in Panama by Wetmore, dated from 1857 to 1877. teh data focus on guano.
1961-1973
1961
1973
Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu.
SIA Acc. 83-126
National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program field research records, 1961-1973
1 folder
Smithsonian Institution Archives
Box1, folder 23