Novel CTD tag establishes shark fins as ocean observing platforms
Date
2024-06-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Scientific Reports
Abstract
Animal-borne tags are effective instruments for collecting ocean data and can be used to fill spatial gaps in the observing network. We deployed the first conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) satellite tags on the dorsal fin of salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) to demonstrate the potential of sharks to monitor essential ocean variables and oceanographic features in the Gulf of Alaska. Over 1360 km and 36 days in the summer of 2015, the salmon shark collected 56 geolocated, temperature-salinity profiles. The shark swam through a plume of anomalously salty water that originated from the “Blob” and encountered several mesoscale eddies, whose subsurface properties were altered by the marine heatwave. We demonstrate that salmon sharks have the potential to serve as submesoscale-resolving oceanographic platforms and substantially increase the spatial coverage of observations in the Gulf of Alaska.
Description
This article was originally published in Scientific Reports. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63543-5. © The Author(s) 2024.
Open Access
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Keywords
animal migration, biooceanography, marine biology, physical oceanography
Citation
Pagniello, C.M.L.S., Castleton, M.R., Carlisle, A.B. et al. Novel CTD tag establishes shark fins as ocean observing platforms. Sci Rep 14, 13837 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63543-5