"How marine animals are helping fill gaps in climate forecasting"

"The clock was ticking when Laura McDonnell and her team, dubbed “The Pit Crew,” reeled in 19 sharks over the course of a week off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during the fall of 2021. 

The Pit Crew had one goal: In under five minutes, they needed to secure a satellite tag on the dorsal fin of each shortfin mako or blue shark before releasing it back into the ocean. The tags then tracked the sharks until March 2022, as they migrated throughout the Northwest Atlantic, a few even reaching Florida. Some dove to 6,483 feet, recording temperatures between 39° and 93°F, transmitting data to satellites each time they surfaced. Researchers, including Ben Kirtman, used the information to fill critical gaps in climate forecasts. One study showed that forecasts incorporating shark-collected data reduced errors in surface-temperature predictions by up to 40 percent.

These forecasts help us understand the broader climate system, in which oceans play a critical role. From ecologically rich coral reefs and continental shelves to the deep sea, oceans are the world’s largest ecosystem, covering 71 percent of the planet, and are its largest carbon sink. 

“I used to get phone calls at two o'clock in the morning. 'Where's your forecast?'” said Kirtman, a climate scientist and professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami."

Emma Smith reports for Sierra magazine August 18, 2026.