Large-Scale Coastal Marine Wildlife Monitoring with Aerial Imagery

Journal of Imaging, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 11(4), P. 94 - 94

Published: March 24, 2025

Monitoring coastal marine wildlife is crucial for biodiversity conservation, environmental management, and sustainable utilization of tourism-related natural assets. Conducting in situ censuses population studies extensive remote habitats often faces logistical constraints, necessitating the adoption advanced technologies to enhance efficiency accuracy monitoring efforts. This study investigates aerial imagery deep learning methodologies automated detection, classification, enumeration marine-coastal species. A comprehensive dataset high-resolution images, captured by drones aircrafts over southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) colonies Valdés Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina, was curated annotated. Using this annotated dataset, a framework developed trained identify classify individual animals. The resulting model may help produce automated, accurate metrics that support analysis ecological dynamics. achieved F1 scores between 0.7 0.9, depending on type individual. Among its contributions, methodology provided essential insights into impacts emergent threats, such as outbreak highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 during 2023 austral spring season, which caused significant mortality these

Language: Английский

Terrestrial Spatial Distribution and Summer Abundance of Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) Near Palmer Station, Antarctica, From Drone Surveys

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(4)

Published: April 1, 2025

ABSTRACT The shifting climatic regime of maritime Antarctica is driving complex changes across trophic levels that are manifesting differentially its resident species and regions. Land‐breeding pinnipeds have increased their seasonal attendance near Palmer Station since the earliest observations in mid‐1900s, Antarctic fur seals ( Arctocephalus gazella ) now represent a significant but unstudied predator population region during austral summer. To characterize timing abundance fine‐scale distribution this attendance, we carried out regular drone surveys terrestrial habitats summer 2020. Using repeat animal counts photogrammetric data products, modeled seal at survey sites over period observation, habitat suitability based on topographic characteristics, estimated as function these products. High was most associated with low‐slope low‐elevation inshore terrain relatively dry, sun‐exposed, wind‐sheltered locations, peak occurred March 11 (day 71) Models 2289–5544 (95% confidence interval) land all potential (41 discrete sites) Wylie Bay south coast Anvers Island abundance. This constitutes first estimate aggregate timing, abundance, region—a critical step understanding phenology ecological role largely nonbreeding population. These findings additionally establish baseline from which to future effects sympatric marine biota, physical environment food chain western Peninsula transform under long‐term changes.

Language: Английский

Long-term, landscape- and wind-driven snow conditions influence Adélie penguin colony extinctions

Landscape Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 40(4)

Published: April 3, 2025

Language: Английский