Scientists Are Using Satellite Technology to Track Whales from Space

A group of U.K. scientists have used high-resolution satellite technology to identify species of whales from space. Using images taken from 385 miles above the Earth’s surface, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have begun plotting the migratory patterns of four different species of whales, hoping to better understand the giant mammals. BAS scientists are watching #whales from #space using detailed high-resolution satellite images from @DigitalGlobe. This work is a big step towards developing a cost-effective method to study whales in remote and inaccessible places! https://t.co/0ZjpBUTaum @WhalesFromSpace pic.twitter.com/zJNhK9CJKA — Antarctic Survey (@BAS_News) November 1, 2018 The pictures are captured by the WorldView-3 spacecraft, which can identify objects as small as 12 inches wide. So far the technology has already been used to detect southern rights whales around the Península Valdés, Argentina; fin whales in parts of the northern Mediterranean; humpbacks near Hawaii; and Pacific gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico. “This is the most detailed imagery of whales captured by satellites to date. It’s exciting that the improved resolution reveals characteristic features, such as flippers and flukes, which can be seen in the images for the first time,” said Hannah Cubaynes, lead author of the study and a whale ecologist at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the University of Cambridge. “The abil...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized animals onetime Source Type: news