Fine resolution 3D temperature fields off Kerguelen from instrumented penguins

The use of diving animals as autonomous vectors of oceanographic instruments is rapidly increasing, because this approach yields cost-efficient new information and can be used in previously poorly sampled areas. However, methods for analyzing the collected data are still under development. In particular, difficulties may arise from the heterogeneous data distribution linked to animals’ behavior. Here we show how raw temperature data collected by penguin-borne loggers were transformed to a regular gridded dataset that provided new information on the local circulation off Kerguelen. A total of 16 king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) were equipped with satellite-positioning transmitters and with temperature–time–depth recorders (TTDRs) to record dive depth and sea temperature. The penguins’ foraging trips recorded during five summers ranged from 140 to 600 km from the colony and 11,000 dives >100 m were recorded. Temperature measurements recorded during diving were used to produce detailed 3D temperature fields of the area (0–200 m). The data treatment included dive location, determination of the vertical profile for each dive, averaging and gridding of those profiles onto 0.1°×0.1° cells, and optimal interpolation in both the horizontal and vertical using an objective analysis. Horizontal fields of temperature at the surface and 100 m are presented, as well as a vertical section along the main foraging direction of the penguins. Compared to conventional temperature databases (Levitus World Ocean Atlas and historical stations available in the area), the 3D temperature fields collected from penguins are extremely finely resolved, by one order finer. Although TTDRs were less accurate than conventional instruments, such a high spatial resolution of penguin-derived data provided unprecedented detailed information on the upper level circulation pattern east of Kerguelen, as well as the iron-enrichment mechanism leading to a high primary production over the Kerguelen Plateau.     

Bio-logging of marine migratory species in the law of the sea

The use of advanced and emerging remote data-collection technologies, and in particular bio-logging of marine migratory species, raises fundamental questions about the scope of authority of coastal states to regulate marine scientific research in the waters under their jurisdiction. Bio-logging involves the attachment of devices to marine animals that collect and transmit data about their movements and aspects of the local marine environment, and is now routinely used by marine scientists to support conservation programs and augment oceanographic data collection. Tagged marine life, including seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles and pelagic fishes, may interact unpredictably with the territorial seas and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of numerous coastal states. This article explores the legal implications of bio-logging within the legal regime of marine scientific research in the law of the sea. Although bio-logging is a form of marine scientific research, when it is initiated outside a coastal state׳s jurisdiction it does not later fall within it, even if the tagged animals subsequently enters a coastal state׳s territorial sea or EEZ.     

Bio-logging as marine scientific research under the law of the sea: A commentary responding to James Kraska,Guillermo Ortuño Crespo,David W. Johnston,bio-logging of marine migratory species in the law of the sea,Marine Policy 51 (2015) 394–400

Rapid advances in attaching miniaturized electronic devices to marine animals for the purpose of learning more about their behavior and interaction with the marine environment, known as bio-logging, raise important and unsettled questions under the international law of the sea. Part XIII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides coastal states with the right to regulate and authorize marine scientific research in offshore areas under their sovereignty and jurisdiction. In their recent article published in this journal, James Kraska, Guillermo Ortuño, and David W. Johnston, assert that although bio-logging is a form of marine scientific research, Part XIII of UNCLOS does not apply to tagged animals that collect scientific information within a coastal state’s 200 mile exclusive economic zone, territorial sea, or internal waters. This commentary rejects Kraska et al.'s interpretation and provides evidence to support the claim that coastal state consent under Part XIII of UNCLOS may, under some circumstances, apply to bio-logging. In light of the immense scientific contributions that bio-logging research provide to global marine conservation efforts and the possible burdens that may be imposed on researchers if coastal states begin to assert their rights under UNCLOS, it is important that the international community engage in a robust and candid discussion of the issue and develop a consensus-based approach on how best to move forward.