Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife.
Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar be...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0f9307e0a36549d89aedbe39f5c7f191 2023-05-15T14:52:33+02:00 Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. Seth Stapleton Michelle LaRue Nicolas Lecomte Stephen Atkinson David Garshelis Claire Porter Todd Atwood 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 https://doaj.org/article/0f9307e0a36549d89aedbe39f5c7f191 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4090068?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 https://doaj.org/article/0f9307e0a36549d89aedbe39f5c7f191 PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 7, p e101513 (2014) Medicine R Science Q article 2014 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 2022-12-31T02:36:49Z Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears. We examined satellite images of a small island in Foxe Basin, Canada, occupied by a high density of bears during the summer ice-free season. Bears were distinguished from other light-colored spots by comparing images collected on different dates. A sample of ground-truthed points demonstrated that we accurately classified bears. Independent observers reviewed images and a population estimate was obtained using mark-recapture models. This estimate (N: 94; 95% Confidence Interval: 92-105) was remarkably similar to an abundance estimate derived from a line transect aerial survey conducted a few days earlier (N: 102; 95% CI: 69-152). Our findings suggest that satellite imagery is a promising tool for monitoring polar bears on land, with implications for use with other Arctic wildlife. Large scale applications may require development of automated detection processes to expedite review and analysis. Future research should assess the utility of multi-spectral imagery and examine sites with different environmental characteristics. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Canada Foxe Basin ENVELOPE(-77.918,-77.918,65.931,65.931) PLoS ONE 9 7 e101513 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Medicine R Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Medicine R Science Q Seth Stapleton Michelle LaRue Nicolas Lecomte Stephen Atkinson David Garshelis Claire Porter Todd Atwood Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears. We examined satellite images of a small island in Foxe Basin, Canada, occupied by a high density of bears during the summer ice-free season. Bears were distinguished from other light-colored spots by comparing images collected on different dates. A sample of ground-truthed points demonstrated that we accurately classified bears. Independent observers reviewed images and a population estimate was obtained using mark-recapture models. This estimate (N: 94; 95% Confidence Interval: 92-105) was remarkably similar to an abundance estimate derived from a line transect aerial survey conducted a few days earlier (N: 102; 95% CI: 69-152). Our findings suggest that satellite imagery is a promising tool for monitoring polar bears on land, with implications for use with other Arctic wildlife. Large scale applications may require development of automated detection processes to expedite review and analysis. Future research should assess the utility of multi-spectral imagery and examine sites with different environmental characteristics. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Seth Stapleton Michelle LaRue Nicolas Lecomte Stephen Atkinson David Garshelis Claire Porter Todd Atwood |
author_facet |
Seth Stapleton Michelle LaRue Nicolas Lecomte Stephen Atkinson David Garshelis Claire Porter Todd Atwood |
author_sort |
Seth Stapleton |
title |
Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
title_short |
Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
title_full |
Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
title_fullStr |
Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife. |
title_sort |
polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track arctic wildlife. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 https://doaj.org/article/0f9307e0a36549d89aedbe39f5c7f191 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-77.918,-77.918,65.931,65.931) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Foxe Basin |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Foxe Basin |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Foxe Basin |
op_source |
PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 7, p e101513 (2014) |
op_relation |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4090068?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 https://doaj.org/article/0f9307e0a36549d89aedbe39f5c7f191 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101513 |
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PLoS ONE |
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9 |
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7 |
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e101513 |
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