Guest guest Posted January 8, 2002 Report Share Posted January 8, 2002 http://www.asahi.com/english/national/K2002010800294.html Satellite to aid whale studies The Asahi Shimbun Researchers will be able to track whales with the launch in autumn of a satellite that uses global positioning system technology to follow the gentle giants' movements worldwide. The Whale Ecology Observation Satellite System will be sent aloft on a National Space Development Agency of Japan H2A rocket, according to Tomonao Hayashi, a professor of the Chiba Institute of Technology who helped develop the system. The satellite will collect data from electronic tags about the size of a coconut that are harmlessly attached to the whales and relay the information to a control center at the university. Global positioning system technology will locate whales fitted with the tags, which are equipped with their own power supply, marking the first use of such technology. The satellite will pick up other information, such as how deep the creatures swim and their migrating patterns, when the whales approach the surface. The 50-kilogram satellite will circle the Earth's polar orbit at 800 kilometers. Each orbit will take about 100 minutes and will cover the entire Earth's surface. The tags, which are attached to the end of a chord, will be fired into whales using an air gun. They release antibiotics to prevent infection. Researchers will begin by studying minke whales inhabiting waters around Japan, although blue whales-the world's largest animal-and humpback whales-named the ``great traveler'' because they are thought to migrate 6,400 kilometers-also will be studied. Until now, it has not been feasible to track whales over a long period. A similar U.S. project managed to follow the creatures for only two months because, among other reasons, tags used in the effort had a short life span. ``The system of enabling whales to be observed globally is groundbreaking,'' said Seiji Ohsumi, director-general of the Institute of Cetacean Research. (01/08) Send FREE video emails in Mail! http://promo./videomail/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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