14 DAY TRIAL // Judging by how things are going, polar bears living in the Arctic might very soon get themselves a lawyer and file a lawsuit against wildlife researchers on the grounds of violation of privacy.
Thus, word has it that scientists are thinking about turning to satellites to spy on polar bear communities and collect information concerning these animals' overall headcount and distribution in the Arctic.
In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, researcher Seth Stapleton with the United States Geological Survey explains that, as surprising as this may sound, satellite images can prove as reliable as aerial estimates are.
Specifically, the scientist and his colleagues say that, when put to the test, satellite imagery helped pin down as many as 90 polar bears inhabiting a given region in the Arctic.
By comparison, aerial surveys used to monitor the same area helped wildlife researchers identify keep tabs on nearly 100 polar bears, EurekAlert informs.
According to specialist Seth Stapleton, this just goes to show that, all things considered, investigations concerning the distribution of wildlife can switch from using aerial surveys to using satellite imagery.
As detailed in yesterday's paper in the journal PLOS ONE, closely monitoring wildlife in the Arctic is especially important in this day and age, when climate change and global warming are reshaping these ecosystems.