Using Copernicus imagery to locate penguin breeding colonies

The Emperor Penguin is a species vulnerable to the effects of climate change and could be almost extinct by the end of the century. It breeds in colonies of thousands of individuals in Antarctica, leaving a trail of guano in the ice that can be seen from space.  

Four unreported colonies have recently been discovered in Antarctica using Copernicus imagery. This image, acquired by one of the Sentinel-2 satellites on 23 October 2021, shows the Vanhoeffen colony, situated to the north of the eastern side of the West Ice Shelf. The guano left by the birds on the snow and ice is clearly visible in this image.

Observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites can be used to identify the breeding grounds of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica. This helps to monitor colonies and develop conservation strategies, providing essential open data for understanding the species' location, population size and changes thereof over time.

Check out this and hundreds more fascinating images
on the Copernicus Image of the Day website