How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals
IntroductionDrones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have emerged as valuable tools for wildlife monitoring, offering potentially non-intrusive observations in challenging terrains like marine ecosystems. Despite their potential, widespread use is impeded by regulatory constraints, especially in...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d657f4781bf847999df8d4640e8ecc72 2024-09-15T18:30:22+00:00 How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jibran Khan Anders Galatius Jonas Teilmann 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 https://doaj.org/article/d657f4781bf847999df8d4640e8ecc72 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 https://doaj.org/article/d657f4781bf847999df8d4640e8ecc72 Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 11 (2024) Phoca vitulina Halichoerus grypus UAV Wadden Sea flight altitude disturbance Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 2024-09-02T15:34:36Z IntroductionDrones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have emerged as valuable tools for wildlife monitoring, offering potentially non-intrusive observations in challenging terrains like marine ecosystems. Despite their potential, widespread use is impeded by regulatory constraints, especially in protected areas. MethodsThis study aims to assess the impact of varying flight altitudes and flight approaches of two commercial drones on the behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and compare to existing findings for marine mammals. We conducted a comparative analysis of the response to flight altitude from 70 m gradually descending to 10 m and two different flight approaches between the DJI Phantom 4Pro and the Autel EVO II RTK drones in the Danish part of the Wadden Sea.ResultsWe found varying responses, where species-specific sensitivity and environmental conditions appeared to influence the behavioural reactions of the seals. Our results reveal that seal reactions to drones are complex and depend on several factors, such as flight altitude, drone model, received noise levels, approach, weather conditions, the animals’ annual cycle, and geographic location. DiscussionThe outcomes hold significance for refining regulatory policies governing drone flights in protected marine environments, balancing conservation efforts with technological advancements in wildlife monitoring and ensuring undisturbed observations of seals. Article in Journal/Newspaper Phoca vitulina Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Marine Science 11 |
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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 |
Phoca vitulina Halichoerus grypus UAV Wadden Sea flight altitude disturbance Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
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Phoca vitulina Halichoerus grypus UAV Wadden Sea flight altitude disturbance Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jibran Khan Anders Galatius Jonas Teilmann How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
topic_facet |
Phoca vitulina Halichoerus grypus UAV Wadden Sea flight altitude disturbance Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
IntroductionDrones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have emerged as valuable tools for wildlife monitoring, offering potentially non-intrusive observations in challenging terrains like marine ecosystems. Despite their potential, widespread use is impeded by regulatory constraints, especially in protected areas. MethodsThis study aims to assess the impact of varying flight altitudes and flight approaches of two commercial drones on the behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and compare to existing findings for marine mammals. We conducted a comparative analysis of the response to flight altitude from 70 m gradually descending to 10 m and two different flight approaches between the DJI Phantom 4Pro and the Autel EVO II RTK drones in the Danish part of the Wadden Sea.ResultsWe found varying responses, where species-specific sensitivity and environmental conditions appeared to influence the behavioural reactions of the seals. Our results reveal that seal reactions to drones are complex and depend on several factors, such as flight altitude, drone model, received noise levels, approach, weather conditions, the animals’ annual cycle, and geographic location. DiscussionThe outcomes hold significance for refining regulatory policies governing drone flights in protected marine environments, balancing conservation efforts with technological advancements in wildlife monitoring and ensuring undisturbed observations of seals. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jibran Khan Anders Galatius Jonas Teilmann |
author_facet |
Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jibran Khan Anders Galatius Jonas Teilmann |
author_sort |
Emilie Nicoline Stepien |
title |
How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
title_short |
How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
title_full |
How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
title_fullStr |
How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
How low can you go? Exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
title_sort |
how low can you go? exploring impact of drones on haul out behaviour of harbour - and grey seals |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 https://doaj.org/article/d657f4781bf847999df8d4640e8ecc72 |
genre |
Phoca vitulina |
genre_facet |
Phoca vitulina |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 11 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 https://doaj.org/article/d657f4781bf847999df8d4640e8ecc72 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411292 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
11 |
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1810471831277142016 |