Remote sensing of emperor penguin abundance and breeding success

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Alexander Winterl, Sebastian Richter, Aymeric Houstin, Téo Barracho, Matthieu Boureau, Clément Cornec, Douglas Couet, Robin Cristofari, Claire Eiselt, Ben Fabry, Adélie Krellenstein, Christoph Mark, Astrid Mainka, Delphine Ménard, Jennifer Morinay, Susie Pottier, Elodie Schloesing, Céline Le Bohec, Daniel P. Zitterbart
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Portfolio 2024
• Subjects: Science; Q; Antarc*; Antarctic; Aptenodytes forsteri; Emperor penguins
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48239-8; https://doaj.org/article/34e28efc21df460fbfd1556617ef9dae

Abstract Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are under increasing environmental pressure. Monitoring colony size and population trends of this Antarctic seabird relies primarily on satellite imagery recorded near the end of the breeding season, when light conditions levels are sufficient to capture images, but colony occupancy is highly variable. To correct population estimates for this variability, we develop a phenological model that can predict the number of breeding pairs and fledging chicks, as well as key phenological events such as arrival, hatching and foraging times, from as few as six data points from a single season. The ability to extrapolate occupancy from sparse data makes the model particularly useful for monitoring remotely sensed animal colonies where ground-based population estimates are rare or unavailable.