Satellite imagery has been used to improve scientific research worldwide. In this study, the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) was chosen to test the use of medium, high, and very high resolution (VHR) satellite images, on the Brazilian breeding ground. These images were used to identify the whales and were compared to aerial survey data collected in the same area. The VHR satellite images from the Pleiades-1A satellite, available on Google Earth, displayed the best results when compared to those from Sentinel 2, Landsat 8, Rapid Eye, and Planet Scope. No significant differences were observed (Mann-Whitney U test) between the possible whales recorded in the satellite images and of real whales recorded in situ by aerial surveys, while considering either the number of groups (p = .841, n = 5) or the total number of animals (p = .222, n = 5). Further, when using VHR images, the geographical positions of the whales recorded in situ had a positive correlation with the positions generated from the satellite images (Mantel test: r = 0.52, p = .001, n = 13). This technique may represent an important tool for detecting right whales, especially in countries where research funding is scarce.

中文翻译：

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使用卫星图像识别西南大西洋繁殖地的南露脊鲸（Eubalaena australis）

卫星图像已被用于改善世界范围内的科学研究。在这项研究中，选择了南露脊鲸 ( Eubalaena australis ) 在巴西繁殖地测试中、高分辨率和超高分辨率 (VHR) 卫星图像的使用。这些图像用于识别鲸鱼，并与在同一地区收集的航空调查数据进行比较。与来自 Sentinel 2、Landsat 8、Rapid Eye 和 Planet Scope 的图像相比，来自 Google Earth 上的 Pleiades-1A 卫星的 VHR 卫星图像显示出最好的结果。在考虑到组数（p = .841, n = 5) 或动物总数 ( p = .222, n = 5)。此外，当使用 VHR 图像时，原位记录的鲸鱼的地理位置与卫星图像生成的位置呈正相关（Mantel 检验：r = 0.52，p = .001，n = 13）。这种技术可能是检测露脊鲸的重要工具，尤其是在研究资金稀缺的国家。