Marine animals: the next generation of autonomous underwater vehicle?

Abstract

Advances in animal tag technologies now offer a significant method for gathering oceanographic information throughout the world's oceans. By employing marine organisms as oceanic samplers (MOOS), vast amounts of in situ data (e.g. temperature, productivity and salinity in relation to depth and location) can be archived and transmitted via satellite or obtained directly from the tag if the tag is recovered. The beauty of this technique is that no on-board navigation system nor external propulsion supply is required. The animal performs the work necessary to transport the equipment and chooses what transect to run. The gathered data, guided by the animal's point of view, reveal secrets of the animal's life and pinpoint environmental features most important to its lifestyle. Depending on the species tagged, the animal may perform a number of tasks of great interest to oceanographers e.g. gathering data from remote regions like the poles, performing repeated deep dives, targeting specific food sources or oceanographic features and traversing massive expanses of ocean. The breadth of animal species with which this technology has been successfully deployed is growing steadily. The list includes bluefin and yellowfin tuna, white sharks, thresher sharks, whale sharks, ocean sunfish, marine turtles, seals, sea lions, and seabirds. It is hoped that the wealth of tag data already being collected worldwide can serve both the needs of the biologic and oceanographic communities alike.