More on whales, this time Minke whales. Australian have used an infra red camera to find whales that have dived under the surface of Antarctic waters. The camera is mounted on an aircraft flying over the pack ice and is able to identify trails of warmer water that are left behind when a whale breaks the meniscus on the surface. In sufficiently calm conditions, the whales bring up slightly warmer water from below and the infra red camera is able to see the resulting trails.
Scientists hope that they will now be able to get a more accurate count of how many minkes are in Antarctic waters. Current surveys rely heavily on statistical formulae to include whales that are under the water and therefore unseen.
There’s more information in the Sydney Morning Herald.
