Aeroecology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aeroecology is the relationship between organisms and the way they utilize and interact with other biotic and abiotic components of the atmosphere.[1][2] The aerosphere is viewed as habitat[3] and the way that organisms respond to and take advantage of the dynamic aerospace has relevance to the ecology, evolution, and conservation of many of the world's bird, bat, insect, and plant species.
Aeroecology has relied upon traditional ecological field studies such as direct observation or detection of organisms flying overhead (e.g., moon watching, thermal cameras, or bioacoustics). However, the field has been greatly advanced by the inclusion of remotely sensed data, in particular Doppler weather radar or NEXRAD. In March 2012, an international and interdisciplinary Radar Aeroecology Workshop was held at the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, OK, USA.[4] Experts in the fields of ecology and meteorology discussed how various radar technologies could be applied to aeroecological questions. Aeroecology research groups at both the University of Oklahoma[5] and the University of Delaware[6] continue to advance the development and integration of remotely sensed data to quantify, qualify, and track biological utilization of the lower aerosphere.
Aeroecology is a relatively new field of study. It was first introduced as a concept by Boston University researcher Thomas Kunz et al. in a paper published in 2008, "Aeroecology: probing and modeling the aerosphere."[7]
Observational aeroecology
In the traditional sense, aeroecology has been limited to observations taken from the ground of biological organisms occupying the airspace above. This may include near-surface foraging behavior or moon-watching passage migrants using human observers equipped with optics. With the advent and adoption of technologies such as thermographic cameras, marine radar, and NEXRAD to aeroecological studies, the ability to detect and track sufficiently large animals in the aerosphere was revolutionized.
