SMRU > Research > Oceanography
Oceanography
SMRU’s Instrumentation Group has developed an "Oceanographic" Tag.
Features:
- · Oceanographic quality temperature & salinity profiles
- · Detailed individual dive and haulout data.
- · Near real-time data relay
- · Up to 50,000 full length Argos data transmissions
- · Option to forward CTD readings direct to Argos GTS
Developed originally for the southern elephant seal, the CTD Oceanographic tag provides an essential tool to allow researches to better understand the behavioral characteristics of sea mammals in relation to the environment in which they live. This is realised through the combined monitoring of the mammal’s detailed dive and haulout information with the key oceanographic parameters, temperature and salinity.
Intrinsic to the tag is a miniaturised CTD sensor capable of measurements that compare favorably with standard oceanographic tools. Coupled with effective data sampling and compression techniques, detailed and accurate temperature and salinity profiles are generated and relayed back in near real-time for analysis.
Approaches
Lars Boehme has used data from such CTD tags depolyed mainly on Southern Elephant Seals in his work on projects such as SEaOS, SAVEX and MEOP.
SMRU CTD tag
CTD tag on southern elephant seal
Elephant seals have helped provide data from the southern ocean
Temperature profile from SEaOS