Scientists recently tagged 18 blue sharks and one mako off the coast of Long Island and Cape Cod to collect ocean temperature data in parts of the Atlantic that are difficult for conventional instruments to reach, according to a report by Laura McDonnell published in April by Nature Partner Journals Climate and Atmospheric Science. The results showed that climate models using more than 8,200 shark observations reduced forecast error rates by as much as 40%.
The findings are still considered proof of concept, but researchers say the work eventually could improve weather forecasts that influence things such as natural gas demand and crop yields, as well as managing marine resources.
“Oceans dominate the Earth’s weather,” said Ben Kirtman, dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. “If you think your weather forecasts are better, thank the oceanographers because a lot that information improving those extreme weather forecasts is often coming from the ocean.”
Weather models depend on accurate observations to establish their starting conditions. More ocean data could improve forecast precision and extend how far ahead useful forecasts can be made.
“If you know in advance it is going to be a really harsh winter, then deploying energy resources in a region in advance, you can save money,” said Kirtman, a co-author of the study.
Forecasters already rely on satellites, buoys and hurricane hunter aircraft to monitor ocean conditions. Sharks, however, may offer a way to fill gaps in places where traditional tools are sparse or expensive.
The scientists worked with commercial fishing crews to catch the sharks using rod and reel, according to McDonnell, the report’s lead author, who now works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The big fish are kept calm by running seawater over their gills, tagged and returned to the ocean within five minutes, she said.
Blue and mako sharks were selected over the more famous great white sharks that have prowled Cape Cod’s shores because they tend to travel longer and deeper distances into the ocean.
The sharks often swim along eddies and shifts in the Gulf Stream, the warm current that runs from the Gulf of Mexico into the North Atlantic. Those ocean patterns can influence rainfall in the Southeast — now mired in drought — and winter temperatures across the eastern U.S.
“The next step is to go from proof of concept to a real demonstration,” Kirtman said. “I do think there’s been enough tagged data that we could do this full up and really demonstrate, in gory detail, what it does to the forecast.”
Sullivan writes for Bloomberg.
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