Building A Wired Ocean With Electronic Tagged Animals and Mobile Gliders

Biologging science is revolutionizing our view of how animals use the open ocean. When free-ranging animals such as tunas, sharks or seals are tagged with telemetry tags that log location, behavior, physiology and oceanography their movements and biology can be thoroughly studied in relationship to the environment.  New technologies, miniaturization, increased sensor capacity, in combination with gliders and mobile technologies are creating a “Wired Ocean”. Animal telemetry provides a revolutionary advancement in our capacity to tag animals in the sea providing a glimpse of how large predators utilize the vast expanse of ocean environs. Electronic tags provide the capacity to track animal behavior and physiology within the physical environment through which the animals are moving. Sometimes this can be done in near-real time – true telemetry - and often data can be stored for later acquisition. Autonomous vehicles instrumented with sensors for receiving tagged animal data are also contributing to our capacity to observe free swimming animals and behavior in their environment. Detailed observations of animal movements in their aquatic environment, have significantly improving our understanding of ecosystem function, population structure, fisheries management, physiological and evolutionary constraints of species. These data are critical for preventing extinctions, preserving biodiversity and implementing ecosystem-based management of living resources. Animal-borne sensors have also come of age and deliver high resolution physical oceanographic data at a relatively low cost. Animals are particularly adept at finding areas of interest to oceanographers (fronts, upwelling areas) and they provide important insights into regions of the oceans that are difficult and expensive to monitor (e.g. Polar Regions).  The capacity to observe earth with and from Animals compliments and extends our ocean observation capabilities on Earth.