SGER: High Resolution Satellite Imagery to Census Emperor Penguin Colonies

帝企鹅是一种熟悉的南极居民，但由于它们的冬季繁殖行为和在偏远地区的聚居地，它们的种群生物学仍不清楚。这项提议的主要目标是应用一种独特的方法来确定西部罗斯海殖民地的帝企鹅的种群状况。这将涉及评估卫星图像用于进行帝企鹅种群普查的可行性；以及通过现场清点(地面真实情况)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，以确定七个已知罗斯海殖民地的羽翼种群的长期趋势，以及从孵化的蜂群中确定的成年繁殖种群。通过卫星图像进行检查，将减少实地人口普查的后勤问题，以及在生命周期的关键阶段因天气或无法进入而固有的数据损失。遥感将完成这一任务，内部活动很少，对南极环境的影响微乎其微。此外，一旦这种方法被证明在经济和技术上都是可行的，那么所有帝企鹅群体的大小就可以用这种方法来测量。例如，在1960年的S和1970年的S中发现的一些非常遥远的殖民地，自从第一次接触以来就没有人去过。这一程序可能提供最好和最小干扰的方法，不仅可以确定这些殖民地的现状，而且可以测量当年整个世界羽毛未丰的幼崽的数量。这种直接和全面的决定对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.