Signals suddenly began to arrive from leatherback #1112 just a few days ago. The quality of the readings is better than ever...and the depth data tells us that the transmitter is on the surface--all the time! What can this possibly mean?
We talked to Dr. Frank Paladino (Dr. Standora's colleague), and asked for his interpretation. Here are his thoughts:
The fact that the transmitter is now always at the surface is not good news for the turtle. Not only has she died, most likely, but the fact that the transmitter is floating means it must be detached from the turtle. (The weight of a dead turtle would pull it to the bottom.) Obviously, the following is only conjecture. The ocean is huge and there are many possible interpretations. But here's a possible explanation.
We didn't get any readings for 50-70 days. During that time, the turtle must have been underwater and possibly caught in fishing nets. How could the transmitter have come free? Tuna fisheries often submerge nets in that part of the world and return every they visit every few months to release their catch. Perhaps the net was pulled in, the transmitter cut from its tether, and the turtle thrown back into the ocean.
Drs. Paladino and Standora have had similar problems in past years when tracking leatherbacks. In contrast, the transmitters on other turtles they've tracked have sent data during more extended periods. Thus, some kind of human intervention, such as fishing nets, may be causing these problems.
We'll continue to send updates from this travelling transmitter. The first set of data is attached below.
Pull out your world atlas and see if you can answer these CHALLENGE QUESTIONS. Send your answers to:
1) What is the name of the ocean where the transmitter is adrift?
2) In what current does it seem to be travelling?
3) What are the tradewinds in that area named?
TRANSMITTER 1112
Date Latitude Longitude April 25 6.652 S 98.031 W April 26 6.506 S 98.123 W April 27 6.387 S 98.377 W April 28 6.424 S 98.586 W April 29 6.364 S 98.676 W April 30 6.263 S 98.864 W May 1 6.328 S 99.094 W May 4 6.255 S 99.472 W May 5 6.210 S 99.730 W May 6 6.137 S 99.783 W May 7 6.234 S 100.151 W
Journey North 125 North First Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Phone: (612)339-6959