It helps regulate weather, climate, temperature and life for all - including humans.īut more than 80% of the ocean remains untapped, and marine biodiversity – which these researchers are hoping to be able to better study – is 'critical' in helping life on Earth thrive, according to the U.N. According to the National Ocean Service, 'the ocean is the lifeblood of Earth' and covers about 70% of its surface. Ocean exploration and research continue to be a vital priority worldwide. 'Those areas are particularly vulnerable to propeller-based systems that would just sort of shred through the corals or go and scare the fish away,' he said. Katzschmann said that current research typically relies on unmanned vehicles that can be 'definitely very disturbing' to ecosystems and aren't made for delicate environments. '.It covers 70% of our oceans, so it's very hard to get accurate, good amounts of accurate data on the biodiversity in these ecosystems.' 'Oceans are severely under pressure from overfishing, from pollution, from climate change, and we know fairly little about them,' Guggenheim said. Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

The team hopes that their device will make ocean exploration safer for the living things that reside within. 'The high seas are among the last truly wild places on Earth,' Monica Medina, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. At that point, the filter needs to be emptied and the batteries need to be replaced. Guggenheim explained that the device can't connect to radio frequencies, so when it swims to the surface after about two hours of data-gathering, it emits a GPS signal that tells researchers where to pick it up.

And much like a real fish, this one must also be found and caught when it's time to reel it in to go home.

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