Among rubbish found on a remote Australian beach, there is a tangle of plastic and rubber that resembles anything but a vital piece of technology.

It is a Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) weather balloon — one of 20,000 it releases into the atmosphere each year.

But there are growing concerns about their contribution to pollution levels, prompting calls for scientists to take a more environmentally conscious approach.

The balloons have been found among plastic pollution in remote places like the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. ( Supplied: Jennifer Lavers )

What goes up, must come down

Heidi Taylor from the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, which cleans up marine debris across the country, recently came across partially degraded weather balloons on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, more than 2,100 kilometres off the WA coast.

"We do need to transition away from weather balloons because it is literally just littering," she said.

"We know they are a risk for marine animals who can ingest them because they look like jellyfish.

"All of those components can pose risks to our wildlife — there's batteries that we know are acidic, there are plastic components and the rubber balloon.

"Balloons, in particular, are ingested by quite a lot of species like turtles; we have found so many of the components that are in the process of breaking up."

The balloons are essential for predicting the weather and taking climate measurements. ( Supplied: Tim Lanzon )

It is a problem the BOM has struggled to solve, according to its environmental sustainability officer, Janet Shelley.

"This is the unfortunate part from an environmental perspective, that they go up for two hours, they burst and then come down," she said.

"We are an environmental organisation, we care deeply about environmental stewardship."

International obligation

The BOM releases about 56 balloons each day from dozens of locations around Australia and its offshore territories, including Antarctica.

It is part of Australia's international responsibilities under the Convention of the World Meteorological Organisation to record climate measurements in the upper atmosphere.

But Phil Southam has asked Curious Kimberley to investigate whether there was a more sustainable way to do the job.

"I want to know what happens to [weather balloons] once they've been released after they have collected their data," he said.

"Are we left with hundreds of balloons rotting somewhere in the outback?"

Thousands of weather balloons are released into the atmosphere by the BOM every year. ( ABC Rural: Caddie Brain )

Vital technology

Weather balloons take precise measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction.

They are made of latex rubber which is filled with hydrogen gas and can travel hundreds of kilometres as they reach the upper atmosphere.

A radiosonde, housed in a plastic box the size of a TV remote and attached by a string, contains battery-powered sensors used to take the measurements.

A cardboard target below the radiosonde allows the device to be tracked by radar, while a parachute helps the balloon reach the ground safely after its job is done.

Unlike countries such as the United States, Australia does not have a program for returning recovered balloons.

But small design improvements have been made over the years, including replacing a polystyrene radar target with cardboard and using smaller lithium batteries.

This partially degraded weather balloon was found among plastic debris on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. ( Supplied: Tangaroa Blue Foundation )

Friendly alternatives

The BOM is also considering several prototypes that could be rolled out within 12 months.

Finnish company Vaisala supplies meteorological technology to 150 countries, including Australia.

It is working with the BOM on weather balloons that have less of an environmental impact.

"We've been looking at biodegradable parachutes and changing the strings that are attached to our sensors," Ms Shelley said.

"We have had some prototypes pass testing and hopefully they will be in use in the next year."

Colours that make the balloons less appealing to animals have also been considered.

Rising tide

With plastic pollution increasingly in the spotlight, pressure is mounting on institutions like the BOM to do more to reduce their footprint.

"We need to know what the weather is doing, that is really important, but we need to find ways that are much more environmentally friendly," Ms Taylor said.

"We need industry and government to get on board to reduce the amount of plastics in the environment."