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Emperor penguins in Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica 370.(Photo by: REUTERS)
Satellite mapping pinpoints penguin population
New technology enables mapping of the birds from space; Antarctic emperor penguin population numbers about 595,000.
SYDNEY - Counting emperor penguins in their icy Antarctic habitat was not easy until researchers used new technology to map the birds from space, and they received a pleasant penguin surprise for their efforts.




"Yes, this is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space, absolutely," said Barbara Wienecke, a sea bird ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) who spoke with Reuters by phone from the Aurora Australis research vessel.

Previous counts have been inaccurate due to rough terrain that made some colonies inaccessible and frigid temperatures that can plummet to - 50 degrees Celsius (- 58 Fahrenheit).

This time the group, a collaboration between the AAD, the British Antarctic Survey, the University of Minnesota/National Science Foundation and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, used aerial photography to calibrate their analysis of counts taken on the ground.

Emperor penguins, with their distinctive black and white plumage, stand out against the snow. That means colonies are clearly visible on satellite images, the group found. Their results are published in the journal PLoS ONE.

The technique also has the advantage of having no negative impact on the sensitive Antarctic environment or the birds.


Previous censuses using more traditional counting methods came up with estimates of 270,000 to 350,000 birds.

While the greater number of penguins is encouraging, changing weather patterns mean their survival is far from assured. The larger population may also pressure the numbers of krill in the oceans, an essential food for the penguins.

Warming oceans observed by the research team can also have an impact. Of particular concern is what happens with "long fast ice" - ice that is attached to the continent and forms a continuous flat area of frozen ocean.

Such ice is where most of the penguin colonies are found, its flat surface essential for the male penguins who incubate each mating pair's single egg on their feet.

"Things change very quickly, so we can't take comfort in having half a million birds at the moment," Wienecke said.

"If the fast ice changes, the birds can end up in a lot of strife very, very quickly."
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