Unmanned aircraft "Aeromax" participate in the census of seals in the waters of the White Sea

2023: The start of the Greenland seal census project in the White Sea

Aeromax unmanned aircraft take part in the "census" of a Greenland seal in the White Sea. On board the aircraft are installed optical and infrared cameras, which help to collect all the necessary amount of data for scientists. This was announced by Aeromax on March 10, 2023.

During the month, digital flight photography of the ice cover of the White Sea in the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions will be carried out with a total study area of ​ ​ over 50 thousand square meters. km It is here that seal deposits can be seen on ice during this period, associated with their seasonal migration to the breeding area.

The beginning of spring is considered the most successful time to calculate the number and record the size characteristics of adults and young.

The customer of aviation accounting carried out by United Telecom Joint Stock Company (UTK JSC) is the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO). VNIRO scientists carry out comprehensive monitoring of the Greenland seal population in the White Sea in order to protect marine mammals from negative impacts of both natural and anthropogenic nature.

The survival of the Greenland seal and its young is under threat due to a number of factors, such as shipping, illegal mining and many others, in recent years the increasing impact on the population of this species has global climate change.

During the work, manned and unmanned aircraft are used, which significantly increases the accuracy of the number estimate. Unmanned aircraft are silent and can shoot at low altitudes without frightening animals. In addition, they are very effective in covering large areas with aerial photography. Thus, the "DIAM-20" model involved in flights can cover up to 1,000 kilometers per flight.

In late February and early March 2023, an air survey of a Caspian seal was carried out on the ice fields of the North Caspian. The Aeromax drone helped determine the number of the Red Book species of pinnipeds - the Caspian seal. The shooting took place in the Russian zone of the North Caspian above the ice cover. For ten days, the total surveyed area of ​ ​ ice fields amounted to more than 9 thousand square meters. km