When he developed a drone-mounted radar system that could penetrate multiple layers of snow, Rolf-Ole Rydeng Jenssen imagined using it to measure snowfall or predict avalanches. Both applications would be helpful in subarctic Tromsø, Norway, where Jenssen works as an engineer at the interdisciplinary Norwegian Research Center (NORCE). But one January night a group of researchers called NORCE to ask about a very different use for the flying radar: finding hidden polar bears.
Pregnant polar bears build dens by digging holes in the snow in early winter, crawling in and letting fresh snow cover the entrance. Inside, the bears give birth while the snow shelters them and their newborn cubs from the harsh Arctic elements. But polar bear experts worry these animals may be too good at hiding. That’s why scientists at Polar Bears International (PBI), a research and conservation group, gave Jenssen a call. PBI has since been collaborating with him and other engineers on more effective ways to find polar bear dens during aerial surveys before humans stumble over and inadvertently destroy the dens.
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