Satellite pictures help scientists count penguins in Antarctica

The technique used by the scientists allowed them to spot the black and white
birds amongst the ice, rock and guano that litter the Antarctic landscape.

Emperor penguins breed in some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible
conditions in the world, where temperatures can reach as low as -50C, making
them difficult to study.

The satellite images, however, allowed the researchers to conduct the first
detailed survey of the species. The study, which is published in the journal PLoS
ONE
, even identified seven colonies that had never been seen before.

A special technique known as pan-sharpening to increase the resolution of the
satellite images allowed the researchers to differentiate between birds,
shadows and penguin excrement, or guano.

The study marks the first time that researchers have counted the entire
population of any species by satellite in a single season.

Dr Fretwell believes the same technique could also be use to tot up numbers of
other wild animals that stand out clearly against their natural habitat,
such as flamingos or reindeer.

Counting other types of penguins from space, however, may not be so easy.
While emperors are large and contrast sharply against the white snow and ice
on which they stand, other species are smaller and tend to breed on
dark-coloured rock.

Michelle LaRue, from the University of Minnesota, said: “The implications of
this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our
methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen
ongoing field research, and to provide accurate information for
international conservation efforts.”

Conservation groups fear emperor penguins will be badly affected by climate
change in the Antarctic as the colonies rely upon sea ice. Some research has
suggested volumes of sea ice has been decreasing due to global warming.

More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk. The new
technique should allow scientists to monitor the impacts on the penguins in
real time.

Dr Phil Trathan, a biologist at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “Current
research suggests that emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected
by climate change.

“An accurate continent-wide census that can be easily repeated on a
regular basis will help us monitor more accurately the impacts of future
change on this iconic species.

“The effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven. In
the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain,
making these important sites for further research and protection.”

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