Penguins are among the most charismatic animals in the world and have captured the imaginations of news-makers, scientists, film producers, and the general public. Beyond their general intrinsic value, they are considered important ecosystem indicators. In other words, monitoring these beautiful species can tell us a lot about the general health of the Antarctic because penguins are important krill and fish predators, and changes (natural or anthropogenic) that influence prey abundance and environmental conditions will ultimately be detected through changes in distribution or population size.

Data on penguin populations are limited because most monitored colonies are near permanent research stations and other sites are surveyed only sporadically. Because the data are so patchy, and time series relatively short, it has been difficult to build statistical models that can explain past dynamics or provide reliable future predictions. Your goal is to create better models to estimate populations for hard-to-reach sites in the Antarctic, and thereby greatly improve our ability to use penguins to monitor the health of the Southern Ocean!