From penguins to bushfires: the power of the satellite

We use satellites every time we need directions, need to call someone, or want to check the weather but recently, scientists have been using them to track penguins. 

At the beginning of this month, UK researchers Peter Fretwell and Philip Trathan announced the discovery and confirmation of almost half of the world’s colonies of emperor penguins using satellite photography. Colony tracking was conducted by manually searching satellite imagery of Antarctic environments that are known to be ideal for breeding, like ice creeks and island archipelagos, and spotting trails of guano (bird poop) that mark the presence of a population. 

Fretwell and Trathan’s work increased known breeding sites by 20% to bring the total to 61 and increase the total wild population by 5 to 10%. Not only does this speak to the remarkable creativity and innovation of the participating scientists, but also shows how using satellites provides a new and unique perspective of the world around us. Whilst still underutilised, we see them replacing traditional alternatives of data collection and monitoring which would typically be done by foot, boat or vehicle, all of which are notoriously tedious and less effective.

Scientists are now including satellites into their research in many weird and wonderful ways. Geospatial Intelligence, an aerial analysis company, used satellites in early 2019 to track the impact of bushfires. Little did they know the severity and importance of this project, with approximately 13 million hectares of bushland zapped to ashes in what is now known as the 2019 ‘Black Summer’. Satellite imagery was taken pre- and post-fires and used to monitor forest regrowth and the impact of the following drought and heavy rainfall.

With threats of another smoky summer this year, satellite data collected from last season is being used to help the country prepare for the worst via preventative measures such as hazard-reduction burning. The NSW surveying department, Spatial Services, says that satellite technology is “very cost-effective”, and can be applied before, during and after emergency events.

From saving lives to bushland conservation to watching penguins, satellite technology marks a new era in how we view life and conduct science. It comes as no surprise that they are becoming a no-brainer tool for scientists.

Please share below other exciting satellite-based research you come across!

Boyle, S., Kennedy, C., Torres, J., Colman, K., Perez-Estigarribia, P., & de la Sancha, N. (2014). High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Is an Important yet Underutilized Resource in Conservation Biology.(Research Article). PLoS ONE, 9(1), e86908. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086908

Fretwell, P., Trathan, P. (2020). Discovery of new colonies by Sentinel2 reveals good and bad news for emperor penguins. (Research Article). British Antarctic Survey, https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/rse2.176

Nguyen, K. (August, 2020). Satellite imagery reveals, in precise detail, extent of NSW bushfire destruction across Black Summer. (Newspaper article). ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-28/satellite-images-reveal-extent-of-nsw-black-summer-bushfires/12601928

Werner, J. (March, 2020). The size of Australia’s bushfire crisis captured in five big numbers. (Newspaper article). ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-03-05/bushfire-crisis-five-big-numbers/12007716