Scientists Count 600K Penguins From Space

That's double the number of emperors thought in Antarctica
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 13, 2012 6:25 PM CDT
Scientists Count 600K Penguins From Space
Emperor penguins (in a scene from the 2005 documentary 'March of the Penguins).   (AP Photo/Warner Independent Pictures, Jerome Maison)

It's a pretty nifty science story to begin with: Scientists used a new technique to conduct what National Geographic calls the "first-ever penguin census from space." They pored over satellite images of Antarctica with resolution sharp enough to count about 600,000 emperor penguins on the continent. The best part, though, is that the figure is double the number scientists thought were there, notes the BBC.

"We are delighted," says a member of the British Antarctic Survey, which spotted seven new colonies The idea was to get a baseline count so scientists can monitor the effects of climate change on the penguins. And while the bigger number is welcome news, "it doesn't change the conservation concern for emperor penguins and many other species," says another researcher. (More emperor penguins stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X