Elephant seals help climate scientists understand deepwater heating around Antarctica

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: September 17, 2012

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As elephant seals dove, swam and fed around an Antarctic ice shelf, sensors on their heads took measurements to help scientists.

Credit: Lars Boehme

Climate scientists concerned about global warming keep a close eye on Antarctica. There, some of the ice shelves that extend from the continent into the ocean are melting. This adds freshwater that boosts sea level. Like other scientists, Tore Hattermann of the Norwegian Polar Institute wants to understand how that watery environment is changing.

But unlike other scientists, Hattermann is recruiting assistance from blubbery, nonhuman helpers.

In a recent study, elephant seals helped the researcher learn about water temperature and currents around Antarctica’s large Fimbul Ice Shelf.

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