We are living in interesting times. Technology continues evolving at dizzying speeds in all industries, including the marine sector. Read on for more insights on the marine biology business and the technology marine biologists use.
1. Submarines
The careers of marine biologists include researching animals living in water. They study what causes changes in marine populations and how they can improve it. For this, they go to where the marine life lives, inside the ocean.
They use submersibles to go inside and reach the sea floor. The technology used to build submersibles includes providing the submersible with a specially controlled internal environment to ensure the scientists’ safety inside the submersible. Imagine if these scientists tried diving to the bottom of the sea without these submarines. They would not as much as make it halfway down, as they’re likely to drown.
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services notes that drowning in natural waters accounts for a third of all deaths that occur due to unintentional drowning.
Among the technological features of these submersibles are the specially designed mechanical hands. The biologists from inside the submersible manipulate these. They enable the scientists to pick up any objects while inside the submarine.
2. Boats
A marine biologist must work using specially designed and equipped boats. They have several boats for different tasks. The aluminum boats sail in the shallow waters in areas such as estuaries. They also use inflatable boats to do their research along the shores.
When venturing out as far as 40 feet offshore, biologists use trawlers. These boats come equipped with radar, radio, and GPS. They also come with a hydraulic winch, which helps when dredging, pulling, and using the bottom grab.
3. Cameras
Ever wondered how marine biologists capture majestic images of animal life undersea? They use waterproof video and still photo cameras to snap at these marine creatures.
Digital cameras can capture great images with clarity, even in very low lighting. There are special cameras attached to the drill machines, and these allow the scientists to record videos of the seafloor. They can also use video cameras to pinpoint interesting areas of study, such as submarine volcanic eruptions.
Digital cameras also capture marine snow. The marine biologists dispatch a digital camera to the seafloor and, within two hours, bring back hundreds of images of marine snow. While the marine snow forms part of marine life’s food, we can’t eat the snow humans experience on land.
Its weight can range from light to heavy and could damage your roof. FEMA snow load safety guide notes that one foot of fresh light snow may be as heavy as 3 pounds per square foot (psf). The wet snow may be as heavy as 21 psf and can stress your roof during winter. Have your roof inspected before the snow season starts.
4. Buoy System
The buoy is a floating instrument marine biologists send out in the sea. It collects information about environmental conditions at sea. It works by using the surface buoy, which collects information such as the surface temperature of the sea, the humidity, current speed and direction of the wind, and wave parameters.
Marine biologists put in many months of work while at sea. Their careers generally involve long hours of research in marine ecosystems. Though their facilities, such as boats and submarines, are equipped to cater to their comfort at sea, they could require services that must be outsourced when they’re on land. One such service would be restroom facilities.
They ideally need safe and ecologically sustainable restroom facilities to use when they are offshore for the better part of the day. According to IBISWorld, the market size, measured by revenue, of the portable toilet rental industry was $2.1 billion in 2022. This shows they offer great solutions.
These are just some of the technologies marine biologists use. You can expect to see more innovations in the future. Be on the lookout.