Thursday, 2 September 2010, 11:30 AM (AAD Theatrette)

Science in the Spotlight – 15 min showcase presentation from three science programs

John McKinlay  [Presenation PDF]

Southern Ocean Ecosystems

A bootstrap method for adjusting Adélie penguin counts to correct for estimated sampling biases and uncertainty

ICESCAPE (Integrating Count Effort by Seasonally Correcting Animal Population Estimates) is a suite of routines implementing a parametric bootstrap model for standardising animal count data to a common reference point of breeding chronology. It is based on a general abundance estimator that accounts for availability bias, detection bias, and sampling fractions less than unity. Application of the procedure is especially useful for species showing a complex temporal function of sampling availability, such as Adélie penguins. Within this resampling framework it is possible to propagate all reported measures of uncertainty associated with counts through to adjusted estimates. Adjustment for availability bias is achieved by applying an adjustment factor based on independently measured time-series of availability throughout a breeding season. In the current context, time-series to estimate availability are collected from several representative sites using fixed-image remote camera technology. Date-specific adjustments can be made to one-off counts at sites where no availability information has been collected by resampling from a suitably determined pool of surrogate availability curves. This common standardisation procedure allows site-specific estimates to be aggregated to achieve region-scale population estimates. Current work has focused on standardising counts of Adélie penguin adults, chicks and nests (using different availability functions for these different count objects) to estimate the effective number of breeding pairs, however the method and implementation is sufficiently general to be easily adapted for other colonial land-breeding species showing seasonal variation in availability to sampling methodology.

 Arko Lucier

(University of Tasmania), Environmental Protection and Change

Using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for ultra-high resolution mapping of Antarctic moss beds

Polar regions are experiencing rapid and severe climatic shifts with major changes in temperature, wind speed and UV-B radiation already observed in Antarctica. Since vegetation is isolated to the coastal fringe and climatic records only extend back 50 years, with limited spatial resolution, we urgently need new proxies to determine if coastal climate has changed over the past century. In a manner similar to trees, old growth mosses also preserve a climate record along their shoots. Our ability to accurately date these mosses and map their extent in sufficient spatial detail means that, for the first time, mosses can be used as sentinels to provide crucial information on how the Antarctic coastal climate has changed over past centuries and how biota has responded to these changes.

The spatial scale of the moss beds (tens of m2) makes satellite imagery (even very high resolution imagery of 0.5 m) unsuitable for mapping their extent in sufficient detail. Due to logistical constraints aerial photography is impractical. Recent developments in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for remote sensing applications provide exciting new opportunities for ultra-high resolution mapping and monitoring of the environment. In this study, we developed a UAV consisting of a remote controlled helicopter carrying three different cameras: visible colour, near-infrared, and thermal infrared for cost-effective, efficient, and ultra-high resolution mapping of terrestrial vegetation in the Windmill Islands, Antarctica. These three sensors allow us to map different physical characteristics of the moss beds at resolutions of several centimetres.  This presentation will address the issues encountered in developing a UAV system, discuss the different UAV sensors and components, and demonstrate how this system can be applied in these fragile remote polar ecosystems.

Barbara Frankel  [Presentation PDF]

Ice Ocean Atmosphere and Climate

Antarctic Scientist visits NT Schools

From April to June this year Barbara visited schools in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin to spread the word about Australian activities in Antarctica. Barbara also has a formalised partnership with Girraween Primary School on the outskirts of Darwin through the Scientists in Schools program coordinated by the CSIRO. At this school she spent three three-hour sessions interacting with 45 Grade 5/6 students teaching them about glaciological work in Antarctica using pictures and a hands-on demonstration of ice flow with ‘glacier goo’. Barbara will explain how she presented her work to over 150 students and teachers, outline the benefits of her school partnership, and tell you how these face to face interactions have inspired and encouraged others to take an interest in Antarctica.