Istraživači Univerziteta Delaware testiraju ideju da ajkule nose CTD tagove koji mere provodljivost (salinitet), temperaturu i dubinu. Podaci se prenose satelitima svaki put kada ajkula izroni, što omogućava gotovo realno-vremenska očitavanja. Cilj je bolje odrediti toplotni sadržaj gornjeg mešanog sloja okeana — ključan faktor u određivanju intenziteta uragana — i na taj način unaprediti prognoze za istočnu obalu SAD.
Ajkule Kao Mobilni Senzori: Kako CTD Tagovi Mogu Poboljšati Prognoze Uragana
Researcher Aaron Carlisle grasps a white shark alongside a boat off the coast of Delaware, U.S., in this photograph taken on May 5, 2025, and released on August 4, 2026. Andrea Leontiou/Handout via REUTERS
Od filmske Jaws do urnebesnog Sharknado, ajkule su često prikazivane kao simbol leta i straha. Ali istraživači Univerziteta Delaware gledaju na ove ribe iz drugačijeg ugla: kao pokretne mjerne stanice koje mogu pomoći da se unaprede prognoze intenziteta uragana pre nego što udare obalu.
Kako to funkcioniše
Tim postavlja male CTD tagove na leđnu peraju ajkula. Ti uređaji mere električnu provodljivost (povezanu sa salinitetom), temperaturu i dubinu dok se životinja kreće i roni. Podaci se šalju satelitima svaki put kada ajkula izroni na površinu, čime nastaju gotovo realno-vremenski zapisi o okeanskim uslovima.
Koje vrste i zašto
Istraživači favorizuju vrste koje se često izranjaju i široko su rasprostranjene, pa su kao posebno pogodna identificovani shortfin mako, blue shark, smooth hammerhead i juvenilne bele ajkule u severnom Atlantskom okeanu. Ključni cilj je merenje toplotnog sadržaja gornjeg mešanog sloja okeana — topliji mešani sloj omogućava jači uragan jer sadrži toplotu koja ga hrani.
Proces označavanja
Označavanje počinje u maju, kada se migratorne vrste približe obali. Istraživači idu 30–40 milja (50–65 km) od obale, postavljaju mamce i obično čekaju 2–3 sata da ajkula zagrize. Tagovi se pričvršćuju na leđnu peraju, a sam postupak se izvodi brzo — često za manje od pet minuta — i pod nadzorom institucija za brigu o životinjama.
"Senzori postavljeni na životinje već su godinama uspešno korišćeni od strane oceanografa, naročito na slonovskim fokama u polarnih predelima gde nema mnogo naučnih merenja", rekao je Aaron Carlisle, glavni istraživač.
Etika i bezbednost životinja
Tagovi su pričvršćeni materijalima koji korodiraju i vremenom otpadaju, a svaka jedinka prolazi zdravstvenu kontrolu pre puštanja. Cilj je da se u najmanjoj meri utiče na ponašanje ajkula kako prikupljeni podaci ne bi bili pristrasni.
Potencijalne koristi
Ako se pristup pokaže uspešnim, prikupljeni podaci mogli bi poboljšati prognoze intenziteta uragana na istočnoj obali SAD, dajući preciznije informacije zajednicama od Severne Karoline do Masačusetsa i pomažući u planiranju i povećanju obalne otpornosti.
"U stvarnosti su to neverovatne životinje savršeno prilagođene okeanu, i od njih možemo mnogo naučiti. Ako pokažemo da ajkule mogu pomoći ljudima, to je win‑win situacija", rekao je Carlisle.
Projekat je primer kreativnog korišćenja bioloških resursa za naučna merenja i utiče na razumevanje atmosferskih i oceanografskih procesa koji određuju ekstremne vremenske pojave.
A mako shark temporarily caught by researchers alongside a boat off the coast of Long Island, New York, U.S., in this photograph taken on June 19, 2024, and released on August 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Yuleny Gomez-Rodriguez/Handout via REUTERS
Researcher Aaron Carlisle works to place a tag on a white shark alongside a boat off the coast of Delaware, U.S., in this photograph taken on May 5, 2025, and released on August 4, 2026. Andrea Leontiou/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A Chinese fishing boat sails across the Taiwan Strait near Niushan Island, off Pingtan Island, Fujian province, China, April 9, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
A water bomber aircraft passes above as wildfires rage across the Gironde region amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, near Sainte-Helene, France, July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Manon Cruz
A firefighting Canadair aircraft skims the surface of the Seine River while collecting water in Ivry-sur-Seine, to assist efforts against a wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest during a heatwave affecting large parts of the country, near Paris, France, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Jonathan Beck, head of overall aircraft design at Positive Aviation, handles a component of a water-scooping system on a converted ATR-72 firefighting demonstrator, in Toulouse, France, July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Tim Hepher
A Canadair firefighting aircraft works to contain wildfires at the Fontainebleau forest, in Acheres-la-Foret, as a heatwave affects large parts of France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
The fuselage of an ATR-72 turboprop aerial firefighting demonstrator stands in Hangar 16, a former Concorde plant now being used by Positive Aviation, in Toulouse, France, July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Tim Hepher
An inmate looks out the window from his prison cell as he tries to stay cool during the heatwave in Orleans, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
A security fence stands at a prison facility during a heatwave in Orleans, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
A guard walks down the corridor of the prison during the heatwave in Orleans, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
An inmate looks out the window from his prison cell as he tries to stay cool during the heatwave in Orleans, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
A guard opens the door to a cell in a prison during the heatwave in Orleans, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Paks Nuclear Power Plant with the partially dried-up Danube riverbed in Dunaszentbenedek, Hungary, July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
A crew member secures a boat at Nanyue Pier as Typhoon Dolphin approaches, in Yueqing Bay, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China August 5, 2026. cnsphoto via REUTERS
People enjoy shallow waters at a beach park amind an orange heatwave alert in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
An elderly person sits in seawater to cool off amid an orange heatwave alert in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A person lies on a beach amid an orange heatwave alert in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A satellite image shows Typhoon Dolphin approaching Japan's Okinawa, August 6, 2026. CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Handout via REUTERS
A car makes its way through strong winds and rain as Typhoon Dolphin approaches, in Nazeasahicho, Amami, Kagoshima, Japan, August 7, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. @darider5/X/via REUTERS
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