Seals Are Unlocking Antarctic Secrets

Dr Mia Wege, a lecturer in the Faculty of Science at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), is applying her expertise on Weddell Sea seals to support crucial oceanographic research.

By tagging Weddell seals with specialised satellite devices, Dr Wege, and her collaborators at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany and the University of Bergen in Norway are gathering invaluable data on ocean temperatures, salinity, and ecosystem health in the Weddell Sea.

“We use seals because they are naturally adapted to swim where ocean robots and oceanographic floats struggle to go – the ice-covered polar seas!”  says Dr Wege. The seals become roaming data collectors, diving into areas of the Southern Ocean that are otherwise difficult for other collection methods to reach.  She says using sea creatures as ‘natural oceanographers’ may seem like a novel concept, yet these methods have already contributed vast amounts of data in the ice covered waters of the Southern Ocean throughout the harsh winter storms, where many other sampling tools would have failed. The data that these mammals collect is invaluable for our understanding of these ocean environments and the changes they are going through.

Data collected by the seals is being used to help researchers understand how melting ice in Antarctica is impacting ocean circulation and investigate potential climate tipping points.

“The Weddell Sea's cold, salty water is one of the drivers of the global ‘conveyor belt’ of ocean circulation, which is crucial for regulating temperatures and marine ecosystems worldwide. This water is at risk of mixing with fresher waters from melting ice, which could trigger a climate tipping point, accelerating ice melt and disrupting ocean health. This is why our research is crucial, so we can understand how these waters are being impacted,” Dr Wege says.

This data is also used to support efforts to design a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea.

“An MPA in the Weddell Sea could safeguard critical habitats and potentially provide a buffer against human impacts on oceans, such as overfishing. Our research contributes to the scientific understanding needed to justify such protection, filling in knowledge gaps that have delayed the MPA’s creation,” Dr Wege says.

Dr Mia Wege's extensive experience in both sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions sets her apart. With specialized skills in animal handling and tagging, she has worked closely with seals in some of the world’s most remote environments, from the Weddell Sea to South Africa's sub-Antarctic islands. This hands-on expertise enables her to navigate the complexities of field research, deploying satellite tags and collecting critical data under extreme conditions. Through her lecturing work at UC, she is able to share this unique knowledge with young scientists.

“One of my main goals is to train young New Zealanders to lead their own research, UC is uniquely suited for this with seal colonies in Kaikoura being relatively close,” says Dr Wege. “By learning my hands-on skills, from tagging seals to data analysis, UC students will be at the forefront of protecting marine environments locally and globally.

As Antarctica's landscapes continue to change, the work of researchers like Dr Wege is more important than ever. Through innovative techniques and a commitment to training future scientists, she is helping to unlock the secrets of one of the most remote and vulnerable regions on Earth.

On her upcoming Antarctic voyage aboard the RV Polarstern, Dr Wege will be deploying the latest generation of satellite tags, designed to capture even more precise oceanographic data.

The expedition, in collaboration with Dr Horst Bornemann and Dr Markus Janou from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and Prof Elin Darelius-Chiche from the University of Bergen, will focus on studying the Weddell Sea’s unique ecosystem and its role in global climate patterns.

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