[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EW-03-07-14-Elephant-Seals.mp3|titles=EW 03-07-14 Elephant Seals]
When most of us hear about drones, we look to the sky for aircraft. But, another type of drone is patrolling the ocean around Antarctica, improving our understanding of ocean conditions in that remote corner of the world. Several years ago, scientists began to mount instrument packs on the elephant seals that inhabit Antarctica. The instruments record conditions while the seals dive, and report them back via satellite when they come to the surface.
In one study, elephant seals were used to map the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean in areas of sparse coverage by oceanographers. Over 5 years, 57 seals made more than 200,000 dives, and the deepest of these in a given region was taken as an estimate of the depth to the bottom, where the seals feed.
In another study, several hundred animals were used to record salinity, temperature, and depth of ocean waters, and the data have been used to improve existing models of the ocean’s circulation around Antarctica.
Elephant seals are intimidating creatures, as I witnessed during some visits to Antarctica a few years ago. Importantly, the autonomous sensor packs detach after a period of time, leaving no permanent harm to the animal.
I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot about drones in the coming years. They are important sources of information from hard-to-visit places on the Earth. Some drones will be of our own design, while others may simply put sensors on existing visitors to the remote regions of the earth.
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Photo, taken on February 2, 2008, courtesy of Ken Solomon via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.