The development and deployment of logging and telemetry equipment on wide ranging marine animals has provided a wealth of data on their movements and behaviour. We can now predict, within reasonable limits, where many species go, which parts of the water column they will visit and when they will go there. But we also need to know more about the environment through which they move in order to understand their biology and the potential risks to their population status. Additionally, there is a need for near real-time monitoring of ocean processes for long-term weather and climate analyses and forecasting. Developments in sampling and data retrieval devices have made it possible to create a synergy between the biological studies of marine vertebrates and oceanographic studies used to describe and predict changes in the ocean atmosphere system. We can use larger marine species as platforms of opportunity to gather detailed oceanographic information. Animals can collect information from logistically difficult areas, at fine temporal and spatial resolution at relatively low cost. I will discuss some technological opportunities that are currently available, the results of ongoing projects and one "proof of concept" study with the hope of stimulating interest across the technical, oceanographic and biological communities for such an approach. It seems certain that the need for timely, high resolution oceanographic information required for understanding the distribution of marine animals and for the development of increasingly fine resolution physical models will grow more rapidly than the funding available to collect that data. By using animals as platforms, we can close the gap between resources and requirements.
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