Ocean United

By Will Dunham   From uk.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have enlisted some burly help as they try to get a better understanding of the remote south polar marine environment -- and these assistants don't mind the wet or the cold one little bit.

The researchers equipped 58 Southern elephant seals with small devices to monitor variations in water temperature, pressure and salinity in the Antarctic region they inhabit.

Writing on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers said the wide-ranging seals have gathered readings in places that otherwise would have been inaccessible.

The Southern elephant seal is the largest of the world's pinnipeds, the animal group that includes seals, sea lions and walruses. Males can measure 15 feet long and can weigh 7,000 pounds (3,000 kg).

The scientists, led by Jean-Benoit Charrassin of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, used epoxy to glue the sensors to the fur on the head of the seals, and released them to forage under the sea ice.

These seals, known for their short, elephant-like trunks, can dive as deep as 1.2 miles in search of food like fish and squid. The researchers said the seals typically covered distances of 22 to 40 miles per day.

The data sent back by the seals detailed the annual cycle of sea ice production, and could help improve computer models of ocean circulation in the region, the researchers said.