Satellites and drones unveil seals and polar bears lifestyle
© 2022 Photo Aeria (Eelke Folmer)/NIOZ/WUR
What can be seen from satellite images and drones in the Arctic? Do they help observing the behavior of animal species like polar bears and seals? An expedition to Svalbard brings some first answers.
Researchers from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea research (NIOZ), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Aeria visited the waters around Svalbard, Norway, to make high resolution drone images of different species of seals. The impressive footage shows the daily life of seals and polar bears. The data will be analysed with machine learning methodologies in collaboration with EPFL.
Funding
Dutch Research Council (NWO) and Gemini Windpark