Satellite imaging doubles population of Emperor penguins

Satellite imaging has revealed that there are twice as many Emperor penguins in Antarctica as scientists had estimated previously, according to a new study reported at Phys.org. Seven new colonies were found.

"This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space," said Peter Fretwell, the lead author and a geographer at the British Antarctic Survey.

He said the international team counted 595,000 birds in 44 colonies, seven more than previously known. Earlier estimates ranged from 270,000 to 350,000.

Using very-high-resolution imaging, scientists were "able to differentiate between birds, ice, shadow and penguin poo (guano)" along the coastline, the British Antarctic Survey writes in a news release.

Minnesota Public Radio has posted several high-resolution satellite images and other great photos of the birds, which were popularized by the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota's Polar Geospatial Center co-authored the study, along with scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Australian Antarctic Division.

The four-foot-tall penguins, especially the more northerly colonies, are threatened by climate change. The BAS says scientists are concerned that sea ice habitat is being lost because of earlier spring warming.

"Whilst current research leads us to expect important declines in the number of emperor penguins over the next century, the effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven," said co-author Phil Trathan, a BAS biologist. "In the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain, making these important sites for further research and protection."

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