Unlocking wildlife secrets in Antarctica

Studying wildlife in Antarctica presents extraordinary challenges. Harsh weather, remote locations, and months of winter darkness make year-round monitoring difficult using traditional field methods.

Research led by Professor Michelle LaRue from the University of Canterbury’s (UC) Gateway Antarctica (School of Earth and Environment) uses satellite imagery and geospatial science to overcome these barriers. Michelle uses remote sensing technologies to monitor emperor penguins and Weddell seals across Antarctica, providing valuable insights into species distribution, abundance, and behaviour. 

Recent advances in geospatial technology are transforming what researchers can observe. In particular, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can detect wildlife regardless of cloud cover or darkness, making it possible to monitor emperor penguin colonies throughout the Antarctic winter.

These capabilities allow researchers to observe a critical stage of the breeding cycle that was previously inaccessible. Identifying winter huddles of male emperor penguins incubating eggs enables researchers to gain a better understanding of breeding populations and long-term population trends. Emperor penguins are an endangered species who rely on stable sea ice, so accurate population estimates are crucial for evaluating the future of the species and how they will respond to changing environmental conditions. 

The research demonstrates the growing role of geographic information science in conservation and environmental monitoring. With integration of satellite imagery, remote sensing, spatial analytics, and computational methods, researchers can answer questions that would otherwise be impossible to investigate.

Michelle uses remotely collected data to supplement field-based observations, including the tagging and monitoring of individual penguins, helping build a more detailed picture of wildlife behaviour and population change over time. 

Beyond Antarctica, the same geospatial tools have applications across conservation, environmental management, and climate research. The ability to monitor ecosystems remotely and at scale is becoming increasingly important for understanding environmental change and supporting evidence-based conservation decisions.

Through innovations in geographic information science, UC researchers are helping unlock new knowledge about some of the planet's most remote wildlife and the environmental changes affecting them.

Talk to Professor Michelle LaRue about Antarctic ecology, wildlife monitoring, remote sensing, and geospatial science.