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  • Sensor-equipped seals deliver goldmine of climate data

    by 
    Steve Dent
    Steve Dent
    06.03.2015

    Seals with sensors have been roaming Antarctica's seas for over a decade and the trove of data they gathered is now available to scientists across the world. The research, conducted by an 11-nation consortium called Marine Mammals exploring the Oceans Pole-to-Pole (MEOP), was designed to see how climate change affects sensitive oceans in the region. The sensors record position, sea pressure, temperature and salinity data as the animals dive up to 60 times a day to depths of 7,000 feet. Since 2004, they've gathered more than 300,000 environmental profiles of the sea.