Dr. Michelle LaRue, Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, studies wildlife and ecosystems using satellite technology.

Studying animals in some of the most remote places on Earth can be incredibly difficult. Traveling to Antarctica to observe emperor penguins, for example, is expensive, time-consuming, and limited to certain times of the year.

Dr. LaRue is helping transform how wildlife research is done by studying animals from space. Using satellite imagery, she can track populations of emperor penguins and other wildlife in places that are nearly impossible for researchers to reach regularly. In this episode, we explore how this innovative approach is giving scientists unprecedented insight into Antarctic ecosystems and the impacts of climate change on these fragile environments.