Using Avian Populations and Remote Sensing to Examine Environmental Disruptors
We are an eight-person undergraduate research team at the University of Maryland - College Park exploring how the behavior of avian species in the Chesapeake Bay region and satellite data can be used to predict natural disasters.
Our Question:
To what extent can avian species in the Chesapeake Bay region predict incoming weather events, and can their behaviour be utilized to forecast environmental conditions?
Who is WING?
WING, short for Wildlife Integrated Notification Grid, is an eight-person research team in the GEMSTONE Honors Program at the University of Maryland, mentored by Dr. Maria Molina of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. Our mission is to find out whether birds can warn us about environmental disruptions, such as storms, floods, and droughts, in the Chesapeake Bay region. We want to know how well the behavior of local birds can tell us what weather is coming.
We hope to create a tool that listens to birds, checks what it hears against satellite data, and one day helps warn people before a natural disruption arrives. We especially want it to help rural and coastal communities that don't have access to expensive weather equipment.