TRACKING DEVICES
FOR MARINE ANIMALS
Have you
ever wanted to know where the nearest white shark is lurking,
where the most dolphins swim or which routes the turtles take?
Scientists are studying exactly this. Thanks to tracking devices,
the movements of a number of species can be followed.
The movement data of individual animals helps scientists to understand
how individual creatures as well as whole animal populations
find their way in the world. The results are crucial to our ability
to understand the effects of global warming and human interference
into animal habitats as well as to save species from extinction
and predict the spread of diseases through animals.
Around the world, scientists are catching wild animals and, without
causing injury, attaching small tracking devices to them before
releasing them again. The small tracking devices register the
GPS position of the animals, saves this data and sends it via
satellites to select databases. Depending on the type of transmitter
and the scientific research questions being posed, the tracking
devices send the position of the animals at regular intervals
(per minute, per hour or a few times a day).
The challenge of sea depth
For the manufacturing of tiny trackers which are developed specifically
for studies of marine animals, KELLER supplies a leading provider
of telemetry solutions for wild animals with 3L pressure transducers.
These sensors are used to accurately measure depth and water
temperatures the sea animals visit. With a built-in sensor the
tracking devices can withstand the pressure in depths of 1000
metres and can to be used in a wide range of temperatures.
Additionally, the installation of 3L pressure transducers represents
an economical option for use over many years.
June 2021
