Emperor penguin populations have been exceedingly difficult to monitor because of their remote locations, and because individuals form breeding colonies on seasonal sea ice fastened to land (known as fast ice) during the dark and cold Antarctic winter.
Emperor penguin populations have been exceedingly difficult to monitor because of their remote locations, and because individuals form breeding colonies on seasonal sea ice fastened to land (known as fast ice) during the dark and cold Antarctic winter.
Now, new research that incorporates very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery with field-based validation surveys and long-term data has provided the first multi-year time series that documents emperor penguin global population trends.
Researchers observed nearly 10% fewer birds in 2018 compared with in 2009, according to a new study that used VHR satellite imagery with 30–60-centimeter ground resolution to examine the entirety of the penguins’ range during springtime around the Antarctic coast. The research appears in the journal article, “Advances in remote sensing of emperor penguins: first multi-year time series documenting trends in the global population,” published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Scientists cannot yet explain the population trend. However, additional research should help with a better understanding of the causal factors – including the role of climate change. Further, this new monitoring methodology could help in the development of adaptive conservation management efforts.
Read more at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Photo Credit: MemoryCatcher via Pixabay
