Earth ID: 13585

Bird's-eye View of Biodiversity with Landsat

Released on April 17, 2020

Temperature data from the Landsat 8 satellite is used by scientists at University of Wisconsin-Madison to predict bird biodiversity in winter months. Turns out, having a habitat with pockets of different temperatures – like a grove of trees in an open field, or a nest or snow burrow – is especially important for small-bodied bird species and those threatened by climate change.

Music: Life Cycles by Theo Golding [PRS], published by Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS]

Complete transcript available.

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

Global temperatures are rising, putting bird species across America in danger of extinction as their habitats change. To understand how temperature affects birds across the country, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison compared data from the thermal sensor on Landsat 8, TIRS, to bird biodiversity across the country. Turns out, having a habitat with pockets of different temperatures – like a grove of trees in an open field, or a nest or snow burrow – is especially important for small-bodied bird species and those threatened by climate change. This bird’s-eye view of the relationship between temperature and bird biodiversity will help conservationists figure out where to prioritize their efforts in a warming world.

Credits

Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA): Lead Producer
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support
Sofie L. Bates (Intern): Producer
Sofie L. Bates (Intern): Animator
Sofie L. Bates (Intern): Writer
Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA): Animator
Jeffrey Masek (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Volker Radeloff (University of Wisconsin - Madison): Scientist
Paul R. Elsen (Wildlife Conservation Society): Scientist

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13585

Missions:
Landsat
Landsat 8

This item is part of these series:
Narrated Movies
Landsat

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Habitat
SVS >> Landsat
SVS >> Temperature
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere >> Animal Taxonomy >> Birds
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere >> Ecological Dynamics >> Biodiversity
NASA Science >> Earth
SVS >> Biodiversity

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0