A thorough survey of the gray whales living off California made possible by drones!
Instead of scientists standing by the shore with binoculars, they are turning to drones to monitor whales off the US coast.
A hexacopter hovers 40m or more above the ocean ( requires a special research permit), kitted out with a high-resolution camera to record valuable images of these huge beasts. If you’d like to watch these peaceful yet humongous animals in their natural habitat, you may want to be looking into activities like San Diego whale watching.
“We can’t put a gray whale on a scale, but we can use aerial images to analyze their body condition – basically, how fat or skinny they are,” said John Durban, a marine mammal biologist at Noaa Fisheries.
The height of the hexacopter is a key concern, because whales and other marine species are sensitive to disturbances in their environment. So the contraption is fitted with a precise altimeter to monitor how high it is. That helps with analyzing the pictures, but also means it can keep a safe distance.
Read the rest of this story at http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32935898.