AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Jane Elizabeth Dolliver for the degree of Master of Science in Wildlife Science presented on June 3, 2019. Title: Using Satellite Imagery to Count Nesting Albatross from Space. Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Robert Michael Suryan One fundamental concern in conservation biology is species abundance. For many taxa, however, these data are costly to obtain via direct observation and thus limited in geographic or temporal scope. Very high-resolution satellite imagery provides a means to address these limitations and provide remotely-sensed counts of large, colonial species. We used very high resolution satellite imagery paired with field counts of three species of nesting albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis, P. nigripes, P. albatrus) at two sites (Torishima, Japan and Sand Island, Midway Atoll, Hawaii) in the Pacific Ocean to test the ability of satellite image-based counts to predict in- field counts with multiple image and habitat covariates. Albatross were identifiable on Torishima using both WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 platforms and on Sand Island using the WorldView-3 platform. Pan-fused images underestimate ground count by about 31%, when taking into account vegetation cover and sun elevation, and their availability is limited to WorldView-3 imagery. Panchromatic images more accurately model in-field count when taking into account platform, species and vegetation cover with errors of -40-25%. We applied the best-performing, panchromatic model to estimate an inaccessible colony of P. albatrus breeding in the Senkaku Islands, from a single satellite image in 2015. We show the colony has expanded to a minimum of 166 adult birds. We demonstrate that with sufficient calibration, robust, multi-species models can be developed to expand the use of very high-resolution satellite imagery to satisfy monitoring objectives constrained by time, funds, or accessibility. ©Copyright by Jane Elizabeth Dolliver June 3, 2019 All Rights Reserved Using Satellite Imagery to Count Nesting Albatross from Space by Jane Elizabeth Dolliver A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Presented June 3, 2019 Commencement June 2019 Master of Science thesis of Jane Elizabeth Dolliver presented on June 3, 2019 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Wildlife Science Head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Jane Elizabeth Dolliver, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere appreciation goes out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Endangered Species Division - Alaska, particularly Ellen Wilt, Erin Knoll, and Leah Kenney; and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-Pacific Seabird Program, administered by Scott Hall; for funding this research. I am grateful for awards from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife – Coombs-Simpson Memorial Scholarship, the College of Agricultural Sciences – Savery Outstanding Masters Student, and the Graduate School – Provost’s Graduate Scholarship Match Award. I cannot thank my major advisor, Dr. Robert Suryan enough. Rob, you have supported my graduate experience in every way – you have motivated and inspired me, challenged and broadened my analytical skills, and infused me with confidence. I have become a better leader, mentor, and researcher under your mentorship. To my committee members Dr. Taal Levi and Dr. Anne Nolin, thank you for offering insight into data analysis and imagery interpretation roadblocks. I am in awe of the contributions you have made to your respective fields and your zest for making your science matter to the masses. I also extend my gratitude to Dr. Brian Sidlauskas for serving as my Departmental Reviewer and Dr. Ling Jin for serving as my Graduate Council Representative - thank you for your flexibility and willingness to assist in the first and final stage of my degree. Special thanks goes out to six technical assistants: Adam Duarte, Christopher Noyles, Paulo Murillo, Michael Olsen, Chase Simpson and Steven Whitlock who have provided strategic and timely advice and feedback regarding image acquisition, image processing, GPS acquisition, and statistical analyses. Chris, thank you for serving as liaison to Digital Globe and for providing imagery and technical resources through the Civil Applications Committee during the project’s early stages. Penelope Chilton, Megan Dalton, Beth Flint, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Jenny Johnson, Eric VanderWerf, and Lindsay Young – your help and expertise in the field were invaluable. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Seabird Oceanography lab, especially Don Lyons and Rachael Orben, who have served as informal committee members and provided me the opportunity to be involved with long-term seabird research on the Oregon Coast for three summers. Through this, I have had the chance to work with a truly exceptional group of biologists – Stephanie Loredo, Jess Porquez, and Amanda Gladics – and a set of top-notch undergraduates and interns: Ana Medina, Alayna Lawson, Denisse Silva, Isabel Justiniano, Christian Cortez, Melanie Birch, Makenzie Weber, Alyssa Nelson, Ally Melendez, and Jason Piasecki. To my Levi lab-mates, thank you for schooling me in basic mammology, and for adding a healthy dose of scientific inspiration to my week. Jen Allen, Cara Appel, Brent Barry, Jennifer Van Brocklin, Emily Dziedzic, Charlotte Eriksson, Aimee Massey, Jenny Urbina, Joel Ruprecht, and Marie Tosa – I have tried to repay all of you with baked goods and coffee, but my debt is probably still outstanding. Members of the Roby lab who have taken me in as their own, I am grateful to you: Olivia Bailey, Kirsten Bixler, Tim Lawes, Adam Peck-Richardson, Ethan Schniedermeyer, Sam Stark, and Yasuko Suzuki. Thank you for fostering such a fun and supportive seabird research community. Olivia and Kirsten, especially, you have provided some sage advice and encouragement. To those who shared a 9am-5pm with me in the office or sometimes a 5pm- 9am – Niki Diogou, Chris Malachowski, Stan Piotrowski, Thaddaeus Buser, Virni Budi Arifanti – thanks for help with R and statistics coursework, and for being such enthusiastic recipients of my culinary creations. My outdoor aficionados – Olivia Bailey, Carly Congdon, Andrea Kristof, Claire Revekant, Megan Zarzycki – have done their best to pull me away from work, where we occasionally hit a 2:1 dog-to-people ratio out on the trail. Leila Lemos, thank you for embarking on the graduate school journey with me. Two friends and colleagues in particular, Emily Runnells and Shannon Kawamura, pushed me to make the graduate school leap, and I would not be here without them. Lastly, I give thanks to my parents and to my sister for their enduring support, guidance, and encouragement. My affection for all of you is immeasurable. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………... 1 2 Methods ……………………………………………………………………………. 8 2.1 Study Areas ……………………………………………………………..... 8 2.2 Field Counts …………………………………………………………….. 10 2.3 Image Acquisition ………………………………………………………. 11 2.4 Image Processing ……………………………………………………….. 12 2.5 Data Analysis …………………………………………………………… 13 3 Results ……………………………………………………………………………. 15 3.1 Pan-fused pixel-based counts ….……………………………………..… 17 3.2 Panchromatic pixel-based counts …….…………………….…………... 20 3.3 Application to plots of unknown size …………………………….…….. 28 4 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………… 29 4.1 Implementation …….………………………………………………...…. 32 5. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………….... 34 6. Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………... 35 Appendices …………………………………………………………………………. 42 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Plumages of Phoebastria albatross …………………...…..……...…………….… 5 2. Study location …………………...……………………...………...……...…....….. 7 3. Colony photos ……………………………….………………………………......... 9 4. Comparison of WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 imagery ………………............. 16 5. Pan-fused model ……………………………………………..…………………... 20 6. Panchromatic model …………………………………………..………………..... 24 7. Panchromatic model by species & platform ……………………………………... 25 8. Seasonal attendance images from Sand Island …………..………………………. 26 9. Annual variation in attendance, Sand Island 2016-2017 …………………..…...... 27 10. 2015 Senkaku Islands image ………………………….……………………....... 29 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Size comparison for Phoebastria albatross …………...…………………….. 4 2. Summary statistics ………………………………………………………….. 14 3. Pan-fused model rankings ………………………………………..…………. 19 4. Pan-fused predictor estimates …………………………………………..…... 19 5. Panchromatic model rankings ………………..………………..…....………. 22 6. Panchromatic estimates …………………………………………….………. 23 7. Panchromatic model predictions ………...………………………………….. 23 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A. Imagery acquired (breeding season) ………………...…………............... 42 B. Nesting phenology for Phoebastria sp …………………………..……..... 44 C. Imagery acquired (non-breeding season) ………………………………… 45 D. Model variable descriptions ………………………………….................. 46 E. Correlation table for pan-fused model …….…………….……....……..... 47 F. Correlation table for panchromatic model ….…...……………….……..... 48 1 Introduction One of conservation biology’s fundamental concerns is species abundance and by extrapolation, total population size (Gaston 1994, Caughley and Gunn 1996). For many taxa, however, this