What is satellite telemetry?
Satellite tracking, or ‘satellite telemetry’, involves attaching a special piece of tracking equipment, called a Platform Terminal Transmitter (or PTT) to a sea turtle’s carapace (shell). The PTT sends a message to a satellite each time the turtle comes to the surface to breathe. We then receive messages via the satellite regarding the location of the turtle and plot them onto a map. There are thousands of satellite transmitters being used around the world today to monitor ocean circulation, natural hazards, water resources, polar currents, fishing vessels, shipping and offshore oil and wildlife such as albatrosses, whales, polar bears and of course, sea turtles!
