Emperor penguin may be the most famous Antarctic species, despite its relatively low numbers. The good news is that these majestic birds aren’t bordering on extinction yet — unlike so many other rare species affected by climate change. The bad news, though, is that changing climate patterns, especially changes in ice covers, do endanger the emperor penguin population. This, in turn, may lead to a chain effect of changes in ecosystems worldwide because despite their far-away habitats, Antarctic penguin species are part of larger marine ecosystems, and dwindling emperor penguin populations may have a very tangible effect on other species.
All of this info and many other valuable insights have been brought to us by earth observation satellites and growing collaboration between the public and private space sector. As more private companies work on satellite cameras, i.e., https://dragonflyaerospace.com/satellite-cameras/, research institutions and independent organizations can now afford access to space mission insights — thanks to affordable camera technology. So, let’s see what these independent parties have discovered about emperor penguin colonies so far.
How Many Emperor Penguins Are There?
One of the most recent estimates stands at slightly under 600 thousand species, which qualifies as ‘near threatened.’ So, how many colonies of emperor penguins are there? Until recently, scientists could identify 62, but in early 2024, space observation helped uncover four more emperor penguin colonies. And while advances in satellite imagery play a huge role in Earth observation data quality, we owe this discovery largely to scientists’ imagination.
So, what unusual tracking method have scientists been using to find new colonies of penguins? Since these colonies migrate and vary in size from thousands to mere hundreds of species, it is difficult to provide population estimates. So, scientists analyzed images of emperor penguin droppings, scientifically called guano, to discover the most recent colonies. More specifically, they followed the emperor penguin migration track. Notably, this method is not revolutionary — in 2020, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission also tracked emperor penguin guano to uncover 11 more migrated bird colonies.
Where do Emperor Penguins Live?
The newly discovered colonies have moved 30 km east from their previous habitat — so, technically, one can say that scientists rediscovered emperor birds they previously lost track of. Emperor penguins have to migrate because their natural habitats are dwindling, and scientists could track them following excrement traces in the snow. That is the good news because emperor colonies have not died out, but sadly, we have bad news, too. The species live and breed on fast ice — the region where sea water freezes but remains attached to the mainland.
Such emperor penguin colonies can be found all over the Antarctica coastline, but the population numbers are dwindling as global temperatures rise and the ice is melting. For grown emperor penguins, this means migrating to ‘safe’ areas. But for emperor babies, called chicks, detached ice often means death because not all of them can survive the move.
So, can we do anything about this? For the time being, we will have to rely on space monitoring to analyze the effects of global climate change on Earth’s ecosystems. Eventually, decision-makers might introduce more eco-initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change. But we still need space imagery — not only as proof of coming danger but also as a tool to understand our planet’s ecosystems. Plus, monitoring wildlife from space is not only about tracking poo. So, let’s find out — how can satellite images help scientists find penguin populations in remote areas?
How Scientists Track Emperor Penguins from Space
Satellite cameras are equipped with different sensors, depending on their mission. Most affordable space missions capture images in the visible light spectrum, just like cameras back on Earth, while others rely on infrared images to detect heat waves and other changes. However, more expensive high-resolution cameras can capture very detailed images, allowing researchers to identify and sometimes even count emperor penguin colonies by their distinctive black markings against the ice background. However, this method is not 100% accurate because birds do move around, and many are forced to migrate as their habitats melt away.
Alternatively, ground stations today use AI algorithms while processing satellite images – a technique that saves human resources and helps automatically detect emperor penguin colonies. These algorithms analyze shapes, sizes, and other markers of emperor penguin colonies, alarming human personnel about changes, which are later manually verified.
Next, satellite data provides a record of changes as they happen over an extended period of time – sometimes even decades. Analyzing this data helps assess emperor penguin population trends and see the long-term effects of environmental changes affecting their habitats.
Today, satellites offer complete coverage of the Antarctic region, including areas inaccessible to human researchers. So, satellite tech can help account for all emperor penguin colonies, even when birds are forced to leave their former habitats. And yet, solutions to mitigating climate change are necessary if we wish to maintain our biodiversity.