SGER: High Resolution Satellite Imagery to Census Emperor Penguin Colonies

帝企鹅是南极洲的一种常见居民，但由于它们的冬季繁殖行为和在偏远地区的殖民地的占领，它们的大部分种群生物学仍然未知。 该提案的主要目标是采用一种独特的方法来确定罗斯海西部殖民地帝企鹅的人口状况。 这将涉及评估卫星图像用于帝企鹅人口普查的可行性;以及通过现场清点（地面实况调查）核实卫星图像分析的准确性。 这一目标的最终结果将是必要的信息，以确定在七个已知的罗斯海殖民地的雏鸟种群的长期趋势，以及成年繁殖种群从孵化集群确定。 利用卫星图像进行普查将减少实地普查的后勤问题，以及由于天气或在生命周期的关键阶段无法进入而造成的固有数据损失。 遥感将完成这项任务，内部活动很少，对南极环境的影响也很小。 此外，一旦这种方法被证明在经济上和技术上是可行的，那么所有帝企鹅殖民地的大小都可以用这种方式来衡量。 例如，在1960年代和1970年代发现的一些特别偏远的殖民地自最初接触以来一直没有被访问过。 这一程序可能提供最好和最少侵入性的方法，不仅确定这些殖民地的现状，但衡量整个世界人口的羽翼丰满的年轻的一年。 这种直接和全面的测定对于任何海洋捕食者来说都是独一无二的。

Emperor penguins are a familiar inhabitant of Antarctica yet much of their population biology remains unknown due to their winter breeding behavior and occupation of colonies in remote areas. The major goal of this proposal is to apply a unique method for determining the population status of emperor penguins in the western Ross Sea colonies. This will involve the assessment of the feasibility of satellite imagery for conducting population censuses of emperor penguins; and verification of the accuracy of the satellite images analyses by on site counts (ground truthing). The final outcome of this objective will be essential information necessary to determine the long-term trend in the fledging population of the seven known Ross Sea colonies, as well as the adult breeding population determined from the incubating huddles. Censusing by satellite imagery will reduce the logistic problems of field censuses and the inherent loss of data because of weather or lack of access during critical phases of the life cycle. Remote sensing will accomplish this task with little activity within, and minimal impact on the Antarctic environment. Also, once this method is demonstrated to be financially and technically feasible, then the size of all emperor penguin colonies could be measured in this way. For example, some exceptionally remote colonies discovered in the 1960's and 1970's have not been visited since the initial contact. This procedure may provide the best and least intrusive method for not only determining the present status of those colonies, but for measuring the entire world population of fledged young of the year. Such a direct and comprehensive determination is unique for any marine predator.