00:00Scientists developed satellite technology to count Antarctic krill from space.
00:05Scientists are trying to count a tiny but vital southern ocean animal from space.
00:11Antarctic krill look like tiny shrimp, but whales, penguins, seals, seabirds, fish and
00:16squid depend on them for food.
00:19Because krill support such a huge food web, changes in their numbers can ripple through
00:24the Antarctic ecosystem.
00:26Researchers are concerned that warming oceans and commercial fishing could place growing
00:30pressure on krill populations.
00:33The problem is that Antarctica is enormous, remote, and difficult to survey continuously
00:39by ship.
00:40So scientists are studying whether satellites can detect krill indirectly through extremely
00:45small changes in ocean color.
00:48Dr. Kate McCary of the University of Strathclyde traveled to Antarctica to measure how seawater
00:53absorbs light as different amounts of krill are added.
00:57Those measurements help researchers understand how krill density changes the optical signature
01:02of the water.
01:04Once that relationship is mapped, satellites could scan huge areas and estimate where krill
01:09are gathering.
01:11The information could help scientists identify feeding grounds, track population changes and
01:16improve decisions about fishing and marine protection.
01:18Krill also connect to the ocean's carbon cycle because they feed on microscopic plants that
01:24absorb carbon dioxide.
01:27A tiny animal may therefore influence whales, penguins, fisheries, and climate processes at
01:32the same time.
01:34Counting krill from space could give scientists a powerful new way to watch over the southern
01:39ocean.
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