Open AccessWeather surveillance radar as an objective tool for monitoring bat phenology and biogeography
Author(s) -
Stepanian Phillip M.,
Wainwright Charlotte E.,
Frick Winifred F.,
Kelly Jeffrey F.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the journal of engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2051-3305
DOI - 10.1049/joe.2019.0595
Subject(s) - radar , remote sensing , secondary surveillance radar , phenology , geography , meteorology , environmental science , environmental resource management , computer science , ecology , biology , telecommunications
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.