Water background samples for eDNA

We collected samples of seawater and snow (total n=9) from locations accessed by whales and control areas to test the feasibility of using eDNA analysis to determine presence-absence of marine mammal species. We collected seawater samples from the icebreaker channel (whales present; n=3) and the Scott Base water intake (whales absent; n=3), as well as snow samples (background freshwater control; n=3).