In the movie “Sharknado”, heroes armed with bombs and chainsaws fight sharks that have been launched on land after a hurricane.

In fact, biologists have found a way to help sharks predict the next big storm.

The role of sharks

Researchers use sharks as mobile marine observers by placing sensors on their fins. As sharks swim in the ocean, scientists collect temperature measurements and other information that can be used to predict the power and trajectory of the Atlantic hurricanes.

This effort is being made at a time when the Trump government reduces the staff and funding of the National Ocean and atmosphere, possibly preventing its ability to predict hurricanes. Sharks are not meant to replace meteorologists in any way, but could add elements to the data they analyze.

“The ocean is so huge, so immense, that it is simply inaccessible for everything, mostly,” said Aaron Carlisle, a marine researcher at the University of Delaware, who leads the effort.

“But by placing organs on animals living out there,” he said, “you can basically turn them into ocean sensors that constantly collect data.”

Hurricanes are formed when the atmosphere absorbs heat from the water, causing the air to rise and the formation of clouds that cause heavy rains. Measurement of heat distribution in the ocean is crucial for predicting the course and intensity of hurricanes.

“The ocean is the thermal machine of hurricanes. If they are going to intensify, they will usually go over hot water, “said Travis Miles, a natural oceanographer at Rutgers University. “If they pass over cold waters, they will weaken,” he said.

However, measuring the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean at various depths is not an easy task. Meteorological satellites cannot see beyond the sea surface, which in the Atlantic often hides cold water lakes. The means used by meteorologists to measure the temperature below the surface move slowly and their operation is expensive, resulting in many gaps in the data collected.

“The ocean scale is so huge and immense that we have really a very empty space where we need more observations,” said Miles, who is not involved in sharks research. The lack of data is particularly intense in the waters that are prone to hurricanes, such as in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and off the east coast, he added.

In the service of science and other marine organizations

Various species of animals have served as the “guards” of the oceans. For years, researchers have placed Antarctic Elephants and Arctic Whales of the Arctic, monitoring devices that record the temperature and other conditions in polar areas that are difficult to access.

Russia has even tried to “recruit” dolphins and Belga whales as a means of collecting information.

Now, to gather information in the Atlantic, Carlisle and his associates are turning to sharks.

“Sharks are faster than robotic windows. They can stay at sea for longer periods, “said Caroline Wiernicki, a doctoral student working with Carlisle.

In May, the team threw hooks with bait and pieces of frozen fish from a boat 40 to 50 miles from the coast, causing a greasy shine that extended to miles. “This creates a trace of smell,” Carlisle said. “Every shark that meets it will think, ‘Oh, what is that?’ And then it will start to follow it. “

The group captured two sharks of Mako and placed sensors to measure seawater temperature. The researchers have chosen Mako sharks because they often return to the surface, allowing them to transmit the information to satellites.

Maco is endangered with extinction as a result of overfishing, according to the International Union to maintain nature. In total, 1 in 3 species of sharks and their relatives are threatened with extinction. Movies such as “Sharknado” and “Jaws” – which premiered 50 years ago – have described sharks as ruthless death machines and may have worked against efforts to protect them.

However, researchers say they are large shark fans and do not expect the sensors to have a significant harmful effect on them.

“We do everything we can to minimize” the effects of perforation of animal wings, “Carlisle said. “We all love animals, so we don’t want to hurt them.”

So far, one of the two sharks has transmitted temperature data to researchers. The other has swimmed in water that is too shallow to activate the sensor. “Every time we place one, we learn something new and it’s a bug tracking,” Wiernicki said.

This work is “an excellent proof of the idea,” Carlisle added.

The plan is to label tens of sharks each year, Wiernicki said, with the aim of importing data into existing hurricane models to produce more accurate predictions. In addition to Mako sharks, the team caught and installed a sensor on a large white shark to watch its position, but not to read the temperature. This species is also a candidate to become a meteorological observer. The team hopes to test the placement of sensors in other species, including hammerheads and whale.

“The more data we have, the better things will be,” said Jill Trepanier, a professor at the University of Louisiana who specializes in hurricane climatology and does not participate in the program.