Antarctic seals are helping scientists learn more about melting glaciers

By Rebecca Cairns, CNN

Updated 0812 GMT (1612 HKT) May 26, 2021

Antarctica's hostile environment makes it an incredibly challenging place for humans to work -- which is why researchers have enlisted the help of seals. Scientists from the Seal Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University in Scotland have attached small devices to seals, which collect data year-round.
Photos: These seals are helping scientists gather data in Antarctica
Antarctica's hostile environment makes it an incredibly challenging place for humans to work -- which is why researchers have enlisted the help of seals. Scientists from the Seal Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University in Scotland have attached small devices to seals, which collect data year-round.
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Antarctica is the world's fifth-largest continent and 98% of it is covered in ice. The inhospitable climate means there are no permanent human inhabitants -- but it's home to millions of seals, <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/about/antarctica/wildlife/penguins/" target="_blank">20 million</a> penguins, and countless seabirds.
Photos: These seals are helping scientists gather data in Antarctica
Antarctica is the world's fifth-largest continent and 98% of it is covered in ice. The inhospitable climate means there are no permanent human inhabitants -- but it's home to millions of seals, 20 million penguins, and countless seabirds.
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In 2014, seals were tagged in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, to gather more data about the rapidly melting Pine Island Glacier. Researchers tagged 14 seals in this first trip -- seven Weddell seals and seven elephant seals -- with smartphone-sized devices to track data on depth, temperature and salinity of the water.
Photos: These seals are helping scientists gather data in Antarctica
In 2014, seals were tagged in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, to gather more data about the rapidly melting Pine Island Glacier. Researchers tagged 14 seals in this first trip -- seven Weddell seals and seven elephant seals -- with smartphone-sized devices to track data on depth, temperature and salinity of the water.
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These seal species were chosen because of the extreme depths they swim to while hunting. <a href="https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/seals/weddell-seals/" target="_blank">Weddell seals</a> like this one, which wasn't involved in the research, can weigh up to 1,100 pounds, and dive to depths of up to 2,300 feet in search of prey -- mainly fish from the lower layers of the ocean, along with squid and octopus.
Photos: These seals are helping scientists gather data in Antarctica
These seal species were chosen because of the extreme depths they swim to while hunting. Weddell seals like this one, which wasn't involved in the research, can weigh up to 1,100 pounds, and dive to depths of up to 2,300 feet in search of prey -- mainly fish from the lower layers of the ocean, along with squid and octopus.
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