Seal tagging (Weddell & Elephant) locations
Description
Seal tagging locations created from attached CTD-SRDLs to 14 Elephant (E) and Weddell (W) seals in total. Data was collected during 2014 iSTAR winter season and provided by Uni. of St. Andrews. Seals were tagged mainly on Edward Island as this was a popular grazing area for both Elephant and Weddell seals.
A telemetry tag designed by the Sea mammal Research unit was attached to fur on the seals head with epoxy glue. The tag then sends back CTD profiles via the ARGOS satellite system.
The 14 southern elephant and Weddell seals collected current, temperature and depth data for approximately 10 months, providing more than 12,000 CTD profiles in and around Pine Island and Thwaites glacier area as well as the Amundsen Sea. It was noted that Female Elephant seals were the most active 'divers' for the duration of data collection; Elephant seals contributing to 90% of the diving data as a whole.
The information that the seals collected from the sea around various floating ice shelves is crucial to more accurately predicting whether glacial ice loss will continue accelerating, slow, or return to equilibrium—and how much it will contribute to sea level rise in the future.
References
2. iSTAR - Seal tagging part 2
3. Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole (MEOP) web portal
Field photo
A freshly tagged Weddell Seal with telemetry rag recording current, temperature and depth .Mike Fedak, University of St. Andrews
Figures
Figure 1: Seal tagging locations within Amundsen sea area .Mike Fedak, University of St. Andrews