WALRUS FROM SPACE Linlin Chi, LVI 1
There are always news articles about global warming and climate change on social media, but like many of us, I have always felt frustrated that I am unable to do anything substantial to help with this situation. So, when I saw the message Dr Pilkington shared about saving walruses, I immediately signed myself up.
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So, what is walrus from space? Walruses are facing the reality of climate crisis and scientists need to know more about how they are affected. Therefore, the WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) and the BAS (British Antarctic Survey) are asking the public to become ‘walrus detectives’ and help contribute to conservation science by looking through satellite images taken from space. This project aims to carry out a census of Atlantic and Laptev walrus populations over five years, which will help the scientists to spot changes over time [1 & 2]. My role in this project was being the ‘walrus detective’. I looked through hundreds of satellite images taken from space and tried to identify whether these images did or didn’t contain walruses, or if the image quality was too poor to tell. It may sound easy, but it was much more difficult than it sounds. For example, some images appeared pitch black at first sight and it was tempting to choose the ‘no walrus’ option, however once I adjusted the brightness and sharpness of the image, I could see there were some walruses present [3].
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Furthermore, it is also easy to confuse walruses with other objects, such as rocks on the shore, as they all look very similar in the images [4]. After looking at around 600 images, I finally found a picture that contained walruses. The feeling of excitement and relief at that moment was beyond words. If anyone wishes to join and make a difference, all you need is a computer/tablet and access to the internet and search for ‘Walrus from space’.
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