Can sharks with sensors help improve climate forecasting? Science suggests yes

The study highlights that greater accuracy in ocean forecasts is key for fishing, maritime operations and climate change planning, as it allows more informed decisions to be made in sectors that depend on the behavior of the ocean.

The research shows that temperature and depth data collected by tagged sharks can increase the accuracy of climate models, especially in dynamic regions of the northwest Atlantic.

The study, published in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, found that, by incorporating this information into seasonal models, errors in ocean surface forecasts were significantly reduced, with improvements of up to 40% in some cases.

The researchers used sharks as mobile sensors, taking advantage of the fact that these animals roam areas that are difficult to monitor with conventional instruments.

In total, eighteen blue sharks and one mako shark were tagged, transmitting more than 8,200 temperature and depth profiles, from different areas and up to almost 2,000 meters below the surface.

The project arose from an interdisciplinary collaboration between shark experts and climate scientists, who identified that the data collected to study the behavior of these sharks could also be applied to climate prediction.

Satellite devices installed on sharks record information in almost real time, which can complement traditional observation systems. Scientists emphasize that this technology does not replace existing methods; but rather reinforces them, by filling information gaps in key areas.

The results of the research, led by scientist Laura H. McDonnell, trained at the University of Miami, showed improvements especially in coastal and continental shelf areas, where changes are faster and data is usually scarce.

“Sharks already move through parts of the ocean that are difficult for us to observe,” said McDonnell, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts.

“This research demonstrates that the data they collect can help fill important gaps and, when used carefully, can improve the way we predict ocean conditions,” added the leader of this scientific research project.