An enduring, 20-year, multidisciplinary seal-borne ocean sensor research collaboration in the Southern Ocean

Over the last 20 years (2004 to 2025), a French-Australian research and ocean observing collaboration has collected >400,000 temperature-salinity profiles providing broad coverage within the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. The collaboration is the cornerstone of the emerging global Animal-Borne Oceanographic Sensors (AniBOS) network, from which the data are freely available to the operational, ocean and climate research, and public communities. These data are a primary source of information for the study of ocean properties in this remote region, enabling major advances in knowledge of dense water formation, glacial ice shelf melting, frontal structure and recent trends driven by climate change in the Southern Ocean. The data have also provided key observations of biological processes, redefining our understanding of the ecology of seals in the Southern Ocean and providing a detailed picture of how they utilise their dynamic ocean-ice environment. The two-fold delivery of essential oceanographic and ecological observations makes this a flagship program, one which has enabled a step-change in our understanding of coupling between physics and biology. Sustaining the observations delivered by AniBOS is critical within the context of a rapidly changing Southern Ocean, for detecting change and anticipating consequences for these unique coupled systems.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Elementa Science of the Anthropocene
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2024.00071
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.38

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

An enduring, 20-year, multidisciplinary seal-borne ocean sensor research collaboration in the Southern Ocean

Clive R. McMahon, Mark Andrew Hindell, Baptiste Picard, Fabien Roquet et al.
3 citations
Elementa Science of the Anthropocene
Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
5.38
article

An enduring, 20-year, multidisciplinary seal-borne ocean sensor research collaboration in the Southern Ocean

Clive R. McMahon, Mark Andrew Hindell, Baptiste Picard, Fabien Roquet, Robert Harcourt, M. A. Fedak, Ian D. Jonsen, Sophie Bestley, Sara Labrousse, Christophe Guinet, Jean‐Benoit Charrassin, Vincent Doriot
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Over the last 20 years (2004 to 2025), a French-Australian research and ocean observing collaboration has collected >400,000 temperature-salinity profiles providing broad coverage within the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. The collaboration is the cornerstone of the emerging global Animal-Borne Oceanographic Sensors (AniBOS) network, from which the data are freely available to the operational, ocean and climate research, and public communities. These data are a primary source of information for the study of ocean properties in this remote region, enabling major advances in knowledge of dense water formation, glacial ice shelf melting, frontal structure and recent trends driven by climate change in the Southern Ocean. The data have also provided key observations of biological processes, redefining our understanding of the ecology of seals in the Southern Ocean and providing a detailed picture of how they utilise their dynamic ocean-ice environment. The two-fold delivery of essential oceanographic and ecological observations makes this a flagship program, one which has enabled a step-change in our understanding of coupling between physics and biology. Sustaining the observations delivered by AniBOS is critical within the context of a rapidly changing Southern Ocean, for detecting change and anticipating consequences for these unique coupled systems.

Elementa Science of the AnthropoceneVol. 13(1)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Tasmania (AU), University of St Andrews (GB), Sorbonne Université (FR), Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (FR), Sydney Institute of Marine Science (AU), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University of Gothenburg (SE), Macquarie University (AU)
Macquarie University, University of Tasmania, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Institut Polaire Français Paul Emile Victor, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne, Australian Antarctic Division
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
5.38
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.