Guest guest Posted January 8, 2002 Report Share Posted January 8, 2002 Animals to photograph sea's secrets Jan 09, 2002 Yomiuri Shimbun The National Institute of Polar Research has started exploring the inhospitable reaches of the Antarctic Ocean by strapping cameras onto animals that can dive deeper than humans, in a quest expected to reveal many mysteries of the deep and create a valuable database for researchers. " The sun's rays reach only 150 meters below the surface, but large creatures, including the emperor penguin and the elephant seal, can dive far deeper, " a researcher at the institute said. The emperor penguin has been recorded diving as deep as 530 meters and the elephant seal to 1,500 meters. By strapping nine-centimeter-long digital cameras on the animals, researchers hope to observe marine life in a zone about halfway between the seabed and the surface. " An interval of five seconds between shots would enable the camera to store 1,200 photographs in a dive of under two hours, " the researcher said. By adding a multifunctional measurement recorder, researchers will be able to measure three-dimensional distances and temperatures of the dark, deep habitats of marine life. " It should shed light on the underwater activities of penguins and seals--what they eat and why they dive so deep, " the researcher said. Yasuhiko Naito, a professor at the institute and head of the project, said, " I would like to see our efforts lead to a valuable database for researchers around the world. " Copyright 2002 The Yomiuri Shimbun Send FREE video emails in Mail! http://promo./videomail/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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