Satellites, the all-seeing eyes in the sky: counting elephant seals from space
Regular censuses are fundamental for the management of animal populations but, are logistically challenging for speciesliving in remote regions. The advent of readily accessible, high resolution satellite images of earth mean that it is possible toresolve relatively small (0.6 m) objects, sufficient...
| Published in: | PLoS ONE |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092613 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24651378 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/92723 |
| Summary: | Regular censuses are fundamental for the management of animal populations but, are logistically challenging for speciesliving in remote regions. The advent of readily accessible, high resolution satellite images of earth mean that it is possible toresolve relatively small (0.6 m) objects, sufficient to discern large animals. To illustrate how these advances can be used tocount animals in remote regions, individual elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ) were counted using satellite imagery. Weused an image taken on 10/10/2011 to count elephant seals (n = 17906306 (95%CL)) on the isthmus of Macquarie Island, anestimate which overlapped with concurrent ground counts (n = 1991). The number of individuals per harem estimated usingthe two approaches were highly correlated, with a slope close to one and the estimated intercept also encompassing zero.This proof of concept opens the way for satellites to be used as a standard censusing technique for inaccessible andcryptically coloured species. Quantifying the population trends of higher order predators provides an especially informativeand tractable indicator of ecosystem health. |
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