Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography
The Critically Endangered status of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis (NARWs) warrants the development of new, less invasive technology to monitor the health of individuals. Combined with advancements in remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly ‘drones’), infrared thermography...
Published in: | Endangered Species Research |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Inter-Research
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01193 https://doaj.org/article/1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 2023-05-15T16:08:16+02:00 Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography GL Lonati DP Zitterbart CA Miller P Corkeron CT Murphy MJ Moore 2022-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01193 https://doaj.org/article/1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v48/p139-154/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01193 https://doaj.org/article/1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 Endangered Species Research, Vol 48, Pp 139-154 (2022) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01193 2022-12-30T19:59:47Z The Critically Endangered status of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis (NARWs) warrants the development of new, less invasive technology to monitor the health of individuals. Combined with advancements in remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly ‘drones’), infrared thermography (IRT) is being increasingly used to detect and count marine mammals and study their physiology. We conducted RPAS-based IRT over NARWs in Cape Cod Bay, MA, USA, in 2017 and 2018. Observations demonstrated 3 particularly useful applications of RPAS-based IRT to study large whales: (1) exploring patterns of cranial heat loss and providing insight into the physiological mechanisms that produce these patterns; (2) tracking subsurface individuals in real-time (depending on the thermal stratification of the water column) using cold surface water anomalies resulting from fluke upstrokes; and (3) detecting natural changes in superficial blood circulation or diagnosing pathology based on heat anomalies on post-cranial body surfaces. These qualitative applications present a new, important opportunity to study, monitor, and conserve large whales, particularly rare and at-risk species such as NARWs. Despite the challenges of using this technology in aquatic environments, the applications of RPAS-based IRT for monitoring the health and behavior of endangered marine mammals, including the collection of quantitative data on thermal physiology, will continue to diversify. Article in Journal/Newspaper Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Endangered Species Research 48 139 154 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 GL Lonati DP Zitterbart CA Miller P Corkeron CT Murphy MJ Moore Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
The Critically Endangered status of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis (NARWs) warrants the development of new, less invasive technology to monitor the health of individuals. Combined with advancements in remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly ‘drones’), infrared thermography (IRT) is being increasingly used to detect and count marine mammals and study their physiology. We conducted RPAS-based IRT over NARWs in Cape Cod Bay, MA, USA, in 2017 and 2018. Observations demonstrated 3 particularly useful applications of RPAS-based IRT to study large whales: (1) exploring patterns of cranial heat loss and providing insight into the physiological mechanisms that produce these patterns; (2) tracking subsurface individuals in real-time (depending on the thermal stratification of the water column) using cold surface water anomalies resulting from fluke upstrokes; and (3) detecting natural changes in superficial blood circulation or diagnosing pathology based on heat anomalies on post-cranial body surfaces. These qualitative applications present a new, important opportunity to study, monitor, and conserve large whales, particularly rare and at-risk species such as NARWs. Despite the challenges of using this technology in aquatic environments, the applications of RPAS-based IRT for monitoring the health and behavior of endangered marine mammals, including the collection of quantitative data on thermal physiology, will continue to diversify. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
GL Lonati DP Zitterbart CA Miller P Corkeron CT Murphy MJ Moore |
author_facet |
GL Lonati DP Zitterbart CA Miller P Corkeron CT Murphy MJ Moore |
author_sort |
GL Lonati |
title |
Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
title_short |
Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
title_full |
Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
title_fullStr |
Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
title_full_unstemmed |
Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
title_sort |
investigating the thermal physiology of critically endangered north atlantic right whales eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01193 https://doaj.org/article/1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 |
genre |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 48, Pp 139-154 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v48/p139-154/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01193 https://doaj.org/article/1f6ff72d286e4d2a9e19f1db06a14b15 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01193 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
48 |
container_start_page |
139 |
op_container_end_page |
154 |
_version_ |
1766404325885607936 |