UC Santa Cruz researchers are using marine animals outfitted with sensors to collect oceanographic data. For example, sensors on California sea lions collect the animals’ location, speed, and dive data along with ocean temperature and salinity information. The data is then transmitted to the researchers via satellite. The scientists are also tagging northern elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals, tuna, salmon sharks, albatross, and other animals. Along with providing insight into animal behavior, the project is also helping scientists understand the role of oceans in the global climate system. From a UC Santa Cruz press release:
“We’re using these animals as ocean sensors to tell us about oceanographic conditions, and we’re also learning how they use the ocean–where they go and what they do,” said Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz…
Costa began using electronic data recorders to study the diving behavior of elephant seals in 1983. Since then, the miniaturization of electronic components and sensors, plus advances in satellite technology, have led to dramatic improvements in the tags. Recent innovations…have greatly improved the ability to pinpoint an animal’s geographic location, and researchers are adding new capabilities to the tags, such as measuring the chlorophyll content of the water (an indicator of algal blooms or “primary productivity”).
“We can now use animals to show us things like the thermal properties and cooling rates of the ocean and the structure of the water column, and they can often get valuable data that would be hard to collect by other means,” Costa said.