Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography
Bats provide a wealth of vital services to humans, such as pollinating plants and managing populations of insects that act as agricultural pests and disease vectors. Despite their direct importance, it is inherently difficult to monitor bats across large spatiotemporal scales, in part due to their n...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-09-01
|
| Series: | The Journal of Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2019.0595 |
| _version_ | 1818644583054049280 |
|---|---|
| author | Phillip M. Stepanian Charlotte E. Wainwright Winifred F. Frick Jeffrey F. Kelly |
| author_facet | Phillip M. Stepanian Charlotte E. Wainwright Winifred F. Frick Jeffrey F. Kelly |
| author_sort | Phillip M. Stepanian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bats provide a wealth of vital services to humans, such as pollinating plants and managing populations of insects that act as agricultural pests and disease vectors. Despite their direct importance, it is inherently difficult to monitor bats across large spatiotemporal scales, in part due to their nocturnal activity and long-distance, high-altitude flights. Networks of weather surveillance radars provide continuous measurements of the airspace at continental scales, revealing the abundance, distribution, behaviour, and phenology of bats aloft. Using a network of polarimetric Doppler weather radars in the USA, we demonstrate applications of this technology to monitor large bat colonies, highlight recent discoveries made using radar surveillance of bats, and discuss future prospects for extending these techniques as part of a standardised system of global bat monitoring infrastructure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:17:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4a1a5093ac584b158574d1d2ab0b1ded |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2051-3305 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:17:09Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-4a1a5093ac584b158574d1d2ab0b1ded2022-12-21T22:10:40ZengWileyThe Journal of Engineering2051-33052019-09-0110.1049/joe.2019.0595JOE.2019.0595Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeographyPhillip M. Stepanian0Charlotte E. Wainwright1Winifred F. Frick2Jeffrey F. Kelly3Corix Plains Institute, University of OklahomaCorix Plains Institute, University of OklahomaEcology & Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa CruzCorix Plains Institute, University of OklahomaBats provide a wealth of vital services to humans, such as pollinating plants and managing populations of insects that act as agricultural pests and disease vectors. Despite their direct importance, it is inherently difficult to monitor bats across large spatiotemporal scales, in part due to their nocturnal activity and long-distance, high-altitude flights. Networks of weather surveillance radars provide continuous measurements of the airspace at continental scales, revealing the abundance, distribution, behaviour, and phenology of bats aloft. Using a network of polarimetric Doppler weather radars in the USA, we demonstrate applications of this technology to monitor large bat colonies, highlight recent discoveries made using radar surveillance of bats, and discuss future prospects for extending these techniques as part of a standardised system of global bat monitoring infrastructure.https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2019.0595doppler radarmeteorological radardiseasesradar polarimetrysearch radaragriculturebatsglobal bat monitoring infrastructureweather surveillance radarobjective toolbat phenologyvital servicespollinating plantsagricultural pestsdisease vectorsdirect importancespatiotemporal scaleshigh-altitude flightscontinental scalespolarimetric doppler weather radarsbat coloniesradar surveillance |
| spellingShingle | Phillip M. Stepanian Charlotte E. Wainwright Winifred F. Frick Jeffrey F. Kelly Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography The Journal of Engineering doppler radar meteorological radar diseases radar polarimetry search radar agriculture bats global bat monitoring infrastructure weather surveillance radar objective tool bat phenology vital services pollinating plants agricultural pests disease vectors direct importance spatiotemporal scales high-altitude flights continental scales polarimetric doppler weather radars bat colonies radar surveillance |
| title | Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| title_full | Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| title_fullStr | Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| title_short | Weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| title_sort | weather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography |
| topic | doppler radar meteorological radar diseases radar polarimetry search radar agriculture bats global bat monitoring infrastructure weather surveillance radar objective tool bat phenology vital services pollinating plants agricultural pests disease vectors direct importance spatiotemporal scales high-altitude flights continental scales polarimetric doppler weather radars bat colonies radar surveillance |
| url | https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2019.0595 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT phillipmstepanian weathersurveillanceradarasanobjectivetoolformonitoringbatphenologyandbiogeography AT charlotteewainwright weathersurveillanceradarasanobjectivetoolformonitoringbatphenologyandbiogeography AT winifredffrick weathersurveillanceradarasanobjectivetoolformonitoringbatphenologyandbiogeography AT jeffreyfkelly weathersurveillanceradarasanobjectivetoolformonitoringbatphenologyandbiogeography |