Applications of thermal infrared imaging for research in aeroecology

The night sky remains a largely unexplored frontier for biologists studying the behavior and physiology of free-ranging, nocturnal organisms. Conventional imaging tools and techniques such as night-vision scopes, infrared-reflectance cameras, flash cameras, and radar provide insufficient detail for the scale and resolution demanded by field researchers. A new tool is needed that is capable of imaging noninvasively in the dark at high-temporal and spatial resolution. Thermal infrared imaging represents the most promising such technology that is poised to revolutionize our ability to observe and document the behavior of free-ranging organisms in the dark. Herein we present several examples from our research on free-ranging bats that highlight the power and potential of thermal infrared imaging for the study of animal behavior, energetics and censusing of large colonies, among others. Using never-before-seen video footage and data, we have begun to answer questions that have puzzled biologists for decades, as well as to generate new hypotheses and insight. As we begin to appreciate the functional significance of the aerosphere as a dynamic environment that affects organisms at different spatial and temporal scales, thermal infrared imaging can be at the forefront of the effort to explore this next frontier.