From 19 – 24 October 2014, H. Baumann participated in the 5th International Otolith Symposium (Mallorca, Spain), a focused gathering of researchers worldwide analyzing calcified structures of fishes (otoliths = ear bones, scales, spines fin rays), mollusks and corals to infer age in days or years, isotopic or trace elemental composition, or to review the quality control measures in place in various production aging labs.
Dr. Baumann presented a study that combined daily ring analyses (=microstructure) in juvenile tuna otoliths with trace elemental analysis, showing that the otoliths likely record the entry of these fish into the California Current Ecosystem after their transpacific migration as juveniles.