Satellite Images of Penguin Guano From Space Lead to Discovery of 9,000 Penguins in Antarctica
In 2009, scientists noticed some odd stains cropping up in
Emperor penguin colonies are not easy to find: Their breeding grounds are remote, icy expanses, that are unobservable at distances greater than just a few kilometers due to the curvature of the Earth.
So scientists who want to monitor how these birds are faring in an unstable environment have had to come up with inventive ways of spotting them. One effective option: Penguin guano stains, as viewed from space.
In 2009, researchers published a paper identifying 10 new penguin colony locations based on satellite images of "faecal staining." "We can't see actual penguins on the
Global Ecology and Biogeography
"It was almost midnight when we succeeded in finding a way down to the ice through crevasses and approached the first of five groups of more than a thousand individuals, three quarters of which were chicks. This was unforgettable moment," Alain Hubert, the expedition's leader, said in a statement.
On NPR, Hubert described that moment to host Neal Conan (worth listening to in full), "After a few minutes, you have those penguins, you know, just comes to say hello and to look at you, because they are the local population. We are not." The guano, Hubert told Conan, doesn't smell -- it's too cold. But, he reports, "I spoke to some scientists that and they told me, if it was a bit warmer, it's really smelly."
Pictures from the expedition capture that moment of first contact and more are available on Hubert's website:
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
International Polar Foundation
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