Tagged with sensors, toothy fish gather weather and climate data in remote Pacific
CHICAGO — The same gray triangles that peek above ocean waves to terrify beachgoers could prove a boon for climate scientists. By strapping sophisticated sensors to sharks’ otherwise ominous fins, researchers can now collect temperature and other environmental data from the far reaches of the Pacific.
Maintaining devices that monitor conditions in the ocean is expensive, says marine scientist Kim Holland of the University of Hawaii at Manoa; a crucial network of buoys in the tropical Pacific is currently operating at reduced capacity due to budget problems. Using sharks as ocean surveyors could provide a new source of data for scientists developing weather and climate simulations.
“Sending sharks to do the heavy lifting makes a lot of sense,” Holland said.
Although other animals have proven useful as data collectors, including Arctic seals (SN: 11