Now Reading: US scientists enlist sharks to predict hurricane intensity
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US scientists enlist sharks to predict hurricane intensity
University of Delaware researchers are testing whether sharks can carry sensors that measure ocean temperature, salinity and depth to improve hurricane forecasts. The tags, attached to dorsal fins, transmit data to satellites…
The Story in Brief
University of Delaware researchers are testing whether sharks can carry sensors that measure ocean temperature, salinity and depth to improve hurricane forecasts. The tags, attached to dorsal fins, transmit data to satellites each time the shark surfaces. The team targets species like shortfin mako, blue shark and juvenile great white in the North Atlantic.
Aaron Carlisle, the principal investigator, said the heat content of the ocean's mixed layer drives hurricane strength, and sharks can gather data where observations are scarce. Tagging starts in May and takes under five minutes. If successful, the project could give coastal communities from North Carolina to Massachusetts better warning of approaching storms.
The Indian Opinion
Hollywood has long painted sharks as monsters, but this project frames them as useful data collectors. The real test is whether shark-gathered readings match existing ocean buoys and improve forecast models. Skeptics will ask if a fin-mounted tag can survive long enough to matter. Watch the first hurricane season results, not the trailer.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
