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Apr 25, 2022 23 tweets 23 min read Read on X
Drones, Fitbits and AI, oh my: Happy #WorldPenguinDay! Come learn about how #NSFfunded researchers from @PointBlueConSci study Adélie penguins at one of the windiest locations on Earth. #takeoverNSF

📸: @ae_schmidty
Can you guess what an Adélie penguin 🐧 and a salmon 🐟 have in common? #WorldPenguinDay

📷Matthias Breiter

#takeoverNSF
Both of these charismatic species exhibit what scientists call “natal philopatry,” which means they return to their birthplaces to breed!

Adélies often end up building their pebble nests very close to where they hatched. #takeoverNSF
#Adélie penguins: They weigh about as much as a gallon of milk, are at perfect kneecap-pecking height, and can easily outpace human scientists any day of the week. They also live in some of the most inaccessible regions on the planet.

#takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay #Antarctica
Most Adélie penguins wear classic black & white tuxedos, but a few have more unique coloring.

Affectionately known as misfits, many of them find mates just as well as their black & white friends. #takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay2022

📸Danny Khor
Researchers from @PointBlueConSci, along with many collaborators, study Adélie penguins on Ross Island, where over 370,000 pairs of Adélies gather to nest each year. At the east end of Ross Island is Cape Crozier, one of the largest Adélie colonies in the world #takeoverNSF penguin colony
The #RossSea, one of the most intact marine ecosystems on Earth, supports large populations of penguins, seals, whales and many other amazing animals. It also plays an important role in regulating Earth’s climate #takeoverNSF

#WorldPenguinDay
Like many places on Earth, #Antarctica is changing rapidly, especially the amount of sea ice. Adélie penguins depend on sea ice 🧊 for foraging, resting, molting and hiding from leopard seals. #takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay

📸: @ae_schmidty
Adélie penguins can act as ecological “indicator species.” By understanding how and why Ross Island Adélie populations change, we can learn more about the whole Ross Sea ecosystem and how it is responding to #climatechange.

#takeoverNSF
First, we need to know how many penguins there are. Have you ever tried to count thousands of moving objects? It’s impossible to do this by hand, so we fly drones over Adélie colonies and use #AI to count the penguins from #drone images. #takeoverNSF

🎥 by @PrkrLovesParks
Then we need to understand what makes Adélie numbers go up and down. We start by following the same individuals every year to track births and deaths, and look for patterns that explain changes in overall numbers. #takeoverNSF

📸: @ae_schmidty

#WorldPenguinDay
We also study what is happening at sea, away from the breeding colonies. Sea ice 🧊 and food availability 🦐🐟 are two big factors that can affect Adélie populations. We deploy #GPS devices on penguins to see where they are finding krill and fish. #takeoverNSF

#WorldPenguinDay
We attach tiny video cameras to #penguins, so we can see what they’re snacking on and where they find their food. Adélies swim at about 2 meters per second when hunting, so our tags are usually in for a bumpy ride. #takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay
Here are some pictures of things Adélie penguins have eaten on camera. Can you tell what they are?

📸: All images by Adelie penguins 😊

#takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay2022
We use “penguin Fitbits” to tell how hard the adults are working to find their food. #fieldwork

📷 @chrislinder

#takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay
Photo credit goes to @chrislinder! 🙃😎
We use an automatic scale that allows the penguins to weigh themselves & tell us how much food they brought back. While feeding chicks, Adélie foraging trips last 1-3 days. Imagine how hungry your kid would be if you spent 3 days at the grocery store! #takeoverNSF
GIF: Danny Khor
We also use underwater robots called gliders to measure how much penguin food (penguins love 🦐 and 🐟) is in the water. We’ll be launching new ones this December! #takeoverNSF

📸: Dr. Walker Smith of @VIMS_News

#WorldPenguinDay
Next big Qs: Where do young #penguins go when they first leave the colony? And can penguins be scientists? We’re testing tags with #GPS and other sensors, so we see where young ones go and whether they can help us measure changes in the ocean due to glacier melt. #takeoverNSF
What about #climatechange? Over geologic time, Adélies have adapted to large changes in climate. We don’t know how quickly they can adapt to current rates of human-driven climate change. #takeoverNSF

📸@ae_schmidty

#PenguinDay
Sea ice is receding in many places & #penguins may need to move south. #takeoverNSF
Adélies have long migration routes and are sensitive to #overfishing. Our #NSFfunded research helped inform the creation of the Ross Sea #MarineProtectedArea, an important protected zone that helps conserve critical habitat for Adélies and other Ross Sea wildlife #takeoverNSF
Like many Antarctic animals, penguins are vulnerable to climate change and overfishing. To learn more about Antarctic #conservation, check out penguinscience.com, asoc.org & follow @pointblueconsci.

Thanks for joining us today!

#takeoverNSF #WorldPenguinDay

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More from @NSF

Dec 1, 2020
The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is maintaining safety. NSF will release more details when they are confirmed.
NSF is saddened by this development. As we move forward, we will be looking for ways to assist the scientific community and maintain our strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico.
La plataforma del radiotelescopio de 305 metros del Observatorio de Arecibo en Puerto Rico cayó durante la noche de ayer. No se reportaron heridos. La Fundación Nacional para la Ciencia (@NSF) está trabajando con las partes interesadas para evaluar la situación actual.
Read 6 tweets
Jun 17, 2020
Hi 👋 I'm @beatrixparis from @UMiamiRSMAS.

I study fish larvae, the early life stage of fishes: one challenge is to collect them alive to be able to observe their behavior. A second challenge is to observe them in their natural environment without human disturbance. #takeoverNSF
The European eel is a migratory species that crosses the Atlantic Ocean twice during its life. After hatching in the Sargasso Sea, eel larvae move >3,000 miles to the freshwater streams of Europe and eventually navigate back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. #takeoverNSF
During their journey, glass eels encounter many distinct environments, with dramatic differences in physical, chemical and biological features. This journey is complex and they need to rely on multiple orientation mechanisms. “Magnetic imprinting” is one of them. #takeoverNSF
Read 25 tweets
Jan 29, 2020
See the Sun like never before! @NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope produces first detailed images of the sun’s surface. bit.ly/2tOX9Db #SolarVision2020

📷: @NatSolarObs/ @AURADC/ NSF
@NatSolarObs @AURADC @NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope helps us better understand the sun and its impact on our planet. #SolarVision2020
@NatSolarObs @AURADC @NSF_MPS The NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope provides unprecedented close-ups of the sun’s surface, but ultimately it will measure the sun’s corona – no total solar eclipse required. 😎

More: bit.ly/36FAjLo

#SolarVision2020
Read 4 tweets

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