Dolphin Respiratory Aerosol Plume Dynamics from High-Speed Holography

Twenty-six datasets examine aerosol trajectories, size, and spatial distribution during breathing events of common bottlenose dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Data was acquired by training two male and four female dolphins to breathe within the field-of-view of a high-speed holography system, covering normal, chuff, and post-exercise breaths. The study was published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, with a last update recorded on 2026-03-13.

Use Cases

• Modeling respiratory disease transmission in marine mammals based on aerosol concentration and size data.
• Analyzing exhalation-inhalation dynamics based on reported tidal volumes and air flow rates.
• Studying biofluid ejection mechanisms based on the fraction of aerosol traveling 3-5 times faster than surrounding air.
• Comparing respiratory patterns between normal, chuff, and post-exercise breaths as described in the study.

Strengths

• Includes 26 distinct datasets involving multiple breath types (normal, chuff, post-exercise) to assess repeatability.
• Provides specific quantitative measurements, such as exhalation durations (150-400 ms), exhaled liquid volumes (0.1 to 16 mL), and droplet sizes (150-1000 µm).
• Data collection method is described: high-speed holography system trained on six dolphins (two male, four female).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single facility (National Aquarium in Baltimore), which may limit generalizability.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data acquired by training dolphins to breathe at the side of a pool within the field-of-view of a high-speed holography system, with droplet-tracking and size measurements performed.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:30:24.237392; freshness should be verified.

Geography

National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, USA