Scientists have successfully used high-resolution satellite imagery to count whales from space.  It’s hoped that the new method will revolutionize the way whale populations are estimated and assist conservation efforts.

The WorldView2 satellite took the image in September 2012.  Researchers with the British Antarctic Survey, as reported the test count in the science journal Plos One, examined the image in different wavelengths, and were able to spot 55 probable Southern Right Whales hanging out in the shallow waters in the Golfo Nuevo on the coast of Argentina.  In addition, they identified 22 possible whales in the gulf as well as 13 whale-shapes underwater.

It’s a huge improvement on previous attempts at space-borne assessment, and will yield more accurate data on whale populations than the current method, counts conducted from a shore position, from the deck of a ship or from a plane.

An automated satellite search could cover a much larger area of ocean and at a fraction of the cost.

“Satellite imagery provides much more accurate and wider coverage,” said Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey.  “If this works, we can take it out to many other species as well.”