Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights
Analysis of cetacean blow offers a unique potential for non-invasive assessments of their health. In recent years, the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has revolutionized the way these samples are collected. However, the high cost and expertise associated with purpose-built waterproof UAVs, pa...
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MDPI AG
2022
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010015 https://doaj.org/article/d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d 2023-05-15T14:57:45+02:00 Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights Helena Costa Andrew Rogan Christopher Zadra Oddbjørn Larsen Audun H. Rikardsen Courtney Waugh 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010015 https://doaj.org/article/d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/1/15 https://doaj.org/toc/2504-446X doi:10.3390/drones7010015 2504-446X https://doaj.org/article/d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d Drones, Vol 7, Iss 15, p 15 (2022) exhaled breath humpback whale UAV arctic Norway Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics TL1-4050 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010015 2023-01-22T01:28:19Z Analysis of cetacean blow offers a unique potential for non-invasive assessments of their health. In recent years, the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has revolutionized the way these samples are collected. However, the high cost and expertise associated with purpose-built waterproof UAVs, paired with the challenges of operating during difficult meteorological conditions, can be prohibitive for their standardized use worldwide. A pilot study was conducted in a Northern Norwegian fjord during winter, to assess the feasibility of using a minimally modified and affordable consumer drone to collect blow samples even during the polar nights’ challenging weather conditions. For each flight, six petri dishes were attached with velcro to a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The flights were conducted under temperatures ranging from -1 to -18 degrees Celsius, wind speeds ranging from 9 to 31 km/h, and with the absence of the sun. During the 6-day-long boat survey, 16 blow samples were successfully collected from 11 distinct groups of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ). With this study, we further validated the use of a consumer drone as a practical, affordable, and simplified tool for blow collection, functional under harsh meteorological conditions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Norway Drones 7 1 15 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
exhaled breath humpback whale UAV arctic Norway Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics TL1-4050 |
spellingShingle |
exhaled breath humpback whale UAV arctic Norway Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics TL1-4050 Helena Costa Andrew Rogan Christopher Zadra Oddbjørn Larsen Audun H. Rikardsen Courtney Waugh Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
topic_facet |
exhaled breath humpback whale UAV arctic Norway Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics TL1-4050 |
description |
Analysis of cetacean blow offers a unique potential for non-invasive assessments of their health. In recent years, the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has revolutionized the way these samples are collected. However, the high cost and expertise associated with purpose-built waterproof UAVs, paired with the challenges of operating during difficult meteorological conditions, can be prohibitive for their standardized use worldwide. A pilot study was conducted in a Northern Norwegian fjord during winter, to assess the feasibility of using a minimally modified and affordable consumer drone to collect blow samples even during the polar nights’ challenging weather conditions. For each flight, six petri dishes were attached with velcro to a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The flights were conducted under temperatures ranging from -1 to -18 degrees Celsius, wind speeds ranging from 9 to 31 km/h, and with the absence of the sun. During the 6-day-long boat survey, 16 blow samples were successfully collected from 11 distinct groups of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ). With this study, we further validated the use of a consumer drone as a practical, affordable, and simplified tool for blow collection, functional under harsh meteorological conditions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Helena Costa Andrew Rogan Christopher Zadra Oddbjørn Larsen Audun H. Rikardsen Courtney Waugh |
author_facet |
Helena Costa Andrew Rogan Christopher Zadra Oddbjørn Larsen Audun H. Rikardsen Courtney Waugh |
author_sort |
Helena Costa |
title |
Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
title_short |
Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
title_full |
Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
title_fullStr |
Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
title_full_unstemmed |
Blowing in the Wind: Using a Consumer Drone for the Collection of Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) Blow Samples during the Arctic Polar Nights |
title_sort |
blowing in the wind: using a consumer drone for the collection of humpback whale ( megaptera novaeangliae ) blow samples during the arctic polar nights |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010015 https://doaj.org/article/d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d |
geographic |
Arctic Norway |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Norway |
genre |
Arctic Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
genre_facet |
Arctic Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
op_source |
Drones, Vol 7, Iss 15, p 15 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/1/15 https://doaj.org/toc/2504-446X doi:10.3390/drones7010015 2504-446X https://doaj.org/article/d5e38f4ed4c1477e9394de95b23ccf8d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010015 |
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Drones |
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7 |
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15 |
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