K scientists have demonstrated the practicality of counting whales from space.

英国科学家日前证明了从太空计数鲸鱼的实用性。

The researchers, from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), have been using the highest resolution satellite pictures available.

来自英国南极调查局的研究人员一直在使用最高分辨率的卫星图片计数鲸鱼。

Even when taken from 620km up, this imagery is sharp enough to capture the distinctive¹ shapes of different species.

即使从620公里以上拍摄，这个图像也足够清晰，可以捕捉到不同物种的独特形状。

The team will soon conduct an audit² of fin³ whales in the Mediterranean⁴.

该小组很快将会对地中海的长须鲸进行统计。

The first-of-its-kind assessment⁵ will be partly automated⁶ by employing a computer program to search through the satellite data.

这次前所未有的计数的一部分将由计算机程序搜索卫星数据完成。

Waters north of Corsica, known as the Ligurian Sea, are a protected area for cetaceans, and the regional authorities want to understand better the animals' movements in relation to shipping⁷ to try to avoid collisions.

科西嘉岛北部的水域，被称为利古里亚海，是鲸类动物的保护区，地区当局希望更好地了解这些动物在船只来往时作出的活动反应，从而避免碰撞的发生。

Previous studies have played with the idea of spotting whales from orbit, but with limited success.

以前的研究提出过从卫星轨道上计数鲸鱼的想法，但成效有限。

This new approach from BAS has drawn⁸ on imagery from the WorldView-3 spacecraft⁹ operated by the American company DigitalGloble.

英国南极调查局的这种新方法，使用了美国公司DigitalGloble运营的WorldView-3航天器来绘制图像。

WorldView-3 is able to discern things at the Earth's surface as small as 31cm across. Only restricted military systems see finer detail.

WorldView-3能够识别地球表面小到31厘米的东西。只有受限制的军事系统才能看到更精细的图像。

"Satellites have improved so much with their spatial¹⁰ resolution," explained Hannah Cubaynes, who is affiliated¹¹ to both Cambridge University and BAS. "For the first time we've been able to see features that are truly distinctive of whales, such as their flippers and flukes."

剑桥大学和英国南极调查局的研究员汉纳·库比内斯解释道：“卫星的空间分辨率得到了很大的提升。我们第一次能够看到真正属于鲸鱼的独特特征，例如鳍状肢和身上的吸虫。”