Éléphants de mer : des agents très spéciaux

From the Kerguelen Archipelago (Southern Indian Ocean) to Macquarie Island (off southern Australia) and South Georgia (east of Cape Horn), scientists are mounting small boxes containing multiple sensors on the heads of elephant seals. Improvements in satellite tracking, hi-tech sensors, and collaboration between French, British and Australian scientists have made it possible to set up a ground-breaking research program to solve an ecological puzzle. With the help of the elephant seals, in four months the scientists have collected more oceanographic data about the Southern Ocean and Antarctica than have been collected in 40 years of traditional exploration. Christophe Guinet and his team of scientists test the accuracy of this new model to be used worldwide to try and predict the consequences of global warming. Other species of seal will very soon be collecting data about other parts of the ocean. It is the beginning of a great adventure. There is a link among climate, current and life.