Emperor Penguins counted from space
Image: Martha De Jong
A new scientific study using Very High Resolution satellite images has found that the population of emperor penguins in Antarctica may be up to twice that which was previously thought. Previous attempts to estimate population numbers were complicated by the fact that penguin colonies are often in isolated areas that are frequently rendered inaccessible to researchers by the extreme cold. The study's findings have been reported in the scientific journal PloS ONE.
Commenting, Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey said "We are delighted to be able to locate and identify such a large number of emperor penguins. We counted 595,000 birds, which is almost double the previous estimates of 270,000-350,000 birds. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space."
The use of satellite imagery in the study allowed the researchers to make dramatic improvements over previous conventional studies. Seven previously unknown colonies of penguins were observed by the study in addition to 44 known colonies and no physical expedition, which can be expensive, time-consuming and potentially dangerous, was necessary to acquire the data. Study co-author Michelle LaRue of the University of Minnesota noted that "The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen on-going field research, and to provide accurate information for international conservation efforts."
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
