MELBOURNE, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia are using color and thermal-infrared technology in drones to detect marine debris entanglements in fur seals, revealing injuries through heat signatures invisible to standard cameras.
The study marks the first use of drone-borne thermal infrared (TIR) imaging to spot wildlife entanglements, which poses an escalating threat to seals, causing injury, restricted movement and increased energy expenditure, said a statement from Australia's Monash University on Tuesday.
Published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers used drone-borne color (RGB - Red, Green, Blue) cameras and TIR imaging to detect entanglements at Seal Rocks, southwest of Phillip Island in Victoria state, the world's largest Australian fur seal breeding site, where fishing lines pose a major threat.
Results from across 54 drone surveys indicated that marine debris entanglements were clearly visible in handheld TIR via elevated heat from over 50 meters in the air, with 81 percent of RGB+TIR drone detections showing thermal anomalies, according to the study led by Monash University and Phillip Island Nature Parks.
Lead author Adam Yaney-Keller of Monash University said the technique detects fishing lines that previous methods often missed. The technology also reveals shark bites and other injuries via temperature differences.
The method has since been successfully trialed with Cape fur seals in South Africa, allowing conservationists to see subtle heat signatures that reveal injuries and entanglements from the air that can normally be difficult to see, the researchers said. ■
