Sharknado? The next generation of hurricane forecasters could be sharks
Researchers use an unexpected ally for the effort to improve the prediction of the hurricane.
Three sharks equipped with sensors They swim in the hot Atlantic Ocean waters to collect critical hurricane data, which contrasts to the usual flying hurricane hunters in the sky of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
“The ocean is so great, so tremendously, everything is often accessible,” Delaware Deniz Ekologists said. Washington Post.
“But by instructing the animals living there,” he said, “You can basically turn them into these ocean sensors that constantly collect data.”
Sharks collect information about water conductivity and temperature. Record sea surface temperatures have fueled large and powerful hurricanes in recent years. Temperatures are the result of a heated planet and human -based climate change.
Researchers are turning to sharks to provide difficult ocean data that can help predict hurricanes. Sensors connected to sharks can help to understand the path and power of cyclones (trophic and spatial ecology research laboratory)
It is not clear whether sharks will approach cyclones. However, by following the warmth, scientists can better understand what the US is for every hurricane season, including where the hurricanes will go and whether they are super -charge.
Sharks, a keystone type and an Apex predator, have a unique access to data that are difficult to obtain. Air satellites cannot cross the surface of the ocean, and the robotic gliders sent by scientists to the continental sheet are effective but slow and expensive to protect.
The labels in sharks have the ability to collect these data more efficiently. Two mako sharks are labeled to measure temperature, depth and conductivity. A white shark has a satellite label to help assess whether species are a good candidate for similar labeling in the future. They can also test their hammer heads and whale sharks.
“Sharks faster [robotic] glider. They can stay out for a longer period of time .. Writing.
“So hope is that we can go out of these sharks and work at the concert,” he said.
The research is directed by Carlisle and Professor Matt Oliver at the University of Delaware. The mid -Atlantic Regional Union of NOAA, the regional branch of the agency’s integrated ocean observation system program, is working with the coastal observation system.
In the future, the plan is to label dozens of sharks per year and feed these data to hurricane computer models.
He said Carlisle so far Writing One of the two sharks returns the temperature data to them, but the other swims very shallow in the water to open the sensor.
The researchers usually said that they chose Makos because they returned to the surface, and the labels allowed scientists to send data to satellites to get back.
Accessible Swimming speeds of over 40 miles per hourShortfin is the fastest sharks in the ocean. After a review, Noaa said in 2022. it cannot list them as a threatened or extinct species. These, Association of International Nature.
Researchers of Delaware University, water conductivity, temperature and depth to monitor labels with two mako sharks. In the future, they hope to label more species, but they make sure that they do everything they can to minimize the impact on the subjects (trophic and spatial ecology research laboratory)
Currently, three types of sharks and beam species are threatened to extinction. Overfishing directed global sharks and beam numbers downwards More than 70 percent Since the 1970s, International Animal Welfare Fund. Philanthropy, people killed about 190 sharks per minute and 100 million Sharks every year in commercial fishing.
Researchers announced USA TODAY that sensors do not expect them to have a very harmful effect on test subjects and to enter a comprehensive permission and examination process.
“We are doing our best to minimize the effect of piercing the fins of animals, Carl Carlisle said. Writing. “We all love animals, so we don’t want to harm them.”
