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Catalyst: Seals help climate research

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Seal swims under water
Catalyst: Seals help climate research

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10


Discover how seals are helping scientists study Antarctica, polar regions, oceans and climate change.

Scientists use Weddell and southern elephant seals to gather data and monitor the way currents move heat around the world's oceans.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Why are scientists studying the ocean and ice in Antarctica? What traditional tools might scientists use to study the world's oceans?
  2. 2.Dr Steve Rintoul says Antarctica is a big blind spot for oceanographers. What does he mean? Watch what scientists do with transmitters. How are they using seals to help them out? What are the natural behaviours and abilities of seals that make them useful to ocean scientists?
  3. 3.The data collected helps scientists understand how oceans transport heat around the globe. It also provides other data. What do scientists infer from this data? How does using seals compare with traditional methods of measuring ocean changes? Explain how this research brings together scientists from different areas of science.
  4. 4.Find out what other marine animals might be able to help climate scientists study the world's oceans. Climate scientists have chosen seals to assist them in their study of the world's oceans. Imagine you are a climate scientist studying the world's oceans. Choose another animal to assist you. List the reasons for your choice.



Date of broadcast: 5 Mar 2009


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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