Satellites help reveal bison migration
In 1902, fewer than 50 bison were counted in the area of Yellowstone National Park. Hunting and disease had nearly caused their extinction.
But today – thanks to a different kind of human intervention – Yellowstone remains the only place in the lower 48 states where a population of wild bison has persisted since prehistoric times. Nearly 4,000 bison graze in Yellowstone’s grassy meadows.
In winter, when snow is deep and grass is scarce, some bison migrate beyond the park’s borders in search of food. Nearby ranchers protest that stray bison could transmit disease to their cattle. Scientists are trying to understand bisons’ movements better by recording changes in the snowpack in and around Yellowstone from one year to the next. It’s thought that variations in the snowpack from year to year and place to place might drive the bisons’ migration. So understanding the snow – via satellite studies combined with computer modeling – will lead to a greater understanding and better preservation of the bison.
In a world with so many humans, our role as stewards is increasingly clear. What’s amazing is that we have just the right tools – in this case satellites and computers – to help do the job.
Our thanks today to NASA: explore, discover, understand.
Yellowstone National Park bison page
Our thanks today to:
Dr. Fred Watson
California State University, Monterey Bay
Chapman Science Academic Center
Additional Teacher Resources
NASA: NASA Snow Data Helps Maintain Nations Largest, Oldest Bison Herd
Researchers are using NASA satellite data and computer modeling, and information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help track the bison herd in Yellowstone National Park as they migrate with the melting snowpack. The Yellowstone bison are the only herd in lower North America to survive since prehistoric times.
California State University Monterey Bay: Bison Ecology and Management
Bison Ecology and Management is an interdisciplinary module for use in undergraduate science education.
National Park Service: Yellowstone Bison
The National Park Service provides information on bison in Yellowstone National Park, including information on their biology and management.
