University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
@uwmlel.bsky.social
The Marine Landscape Ecology Lab is part of the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. We use drones, GIS, and image analysis to study the marine environment. https://sites.uw.edu/marlel/
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Marine heatwaves in 2023 and 2024 killed 84% of fire coral colonies around St. John in the US Virgin Islands, causing the collapse of a species that had previously been considered a hardy “winner” that could handle thermal stress. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/XiSh50Xx2t8
November 24, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Marine heatwaves in 2023 and 2024 killed 84% of fire coral colonies around St. John in the US Virgin Islands, causing the collapse of a species that had previously been considered a hardy “winner” that could handle thermal stress. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/XiSh50Xx2t8
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
1/2 Nifty tech: #vaquita survey lead drone pilot @FabianRguez94 flew with adapted LIDAR altimeter at precisely vertical position above the #vaquitas they spotted; calibrated equation converts pixel length into real distance; length & girth estimated for assessing age & condition.
November 21, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Some false reports are circulating that Mt. Rainier is suddenly showing seismic tremor activity — this is not true. The signal being referenced is actually radio interference, most likely due to rime ice buildup on the antenna of one of our seismic stations.
November 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Some false reports are circulating that Mt. Rainier is suddenly showing seismic tremor activity — this is not true. The signal being referenced is actually radio interference, most likely due to rime ice buildup on the antenna of one of our seismic stations.
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Serving up some zooplankton squee 🥰
Copepods like the one in this video can be found in massive numbers across the world ocean. They play an important role in ocean food webs as predators—they eat even smaller diatoms and phytoplankton—and prey for animals like jellies, fish, and filter feeders.
Copepods like the one in this video can be found in massive numbers across the world ocean. They play an important role in ocean food webs as predators—they eat even smaller diatoms and phytoplankton—and prey for animals like jellies, fish, and filter feeders.
November 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Serving up some zooplankton squee 🥰
Copepods like the one in this video can be found in massive numbers across the world ocean. They play an important role in ocean food webs as predators—they eat even smaller diatoms and phytoplankton—and prey for animals like jellies, fish, and filter feeders.
Copepods like the one in this video can be found in massive numbers across the world ocean. They play an important role in ocean food webs as predators—they eat even smaller diatoms and phytoplankton—and prey for animals like jellies, fish, and filter feeders.
Learn more about how our drone team is working with colleagues in Monterey Bay to help advance the use of marine tech in ocean research in the month’s CeNCOOS newsletter. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social preview.mailerlite.io/preview/1843...
Discover what's new with CeNCOOS in our latest Fall Community Newsletter!
preview.mailerlite.io
November 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Learn more about how our drone team is working with colleagues in Monterey Bay to help advance the use of marine tech in ocean research in the month’s CeNCOOS newsletter. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social preview.mailerlite.io/preview/1843...
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
“For those who may not know, a true Southern Resident superpod occurs when all members of the J, K, and L pods gather together in the same location. That’s 74 #whales!” cheknews.ca/all-southern...
All southern resident killer whales gathered into ‘superpod’ south of Vancouver Island
The Orca Behavior Institute says it’s “thrilled” to have seen a southern resident killer whale superpod gather in the waters south of Vancouver Island last week.
cheknews.ca
November 19, 2025 at 7:11 PM
“For those who may not know, a true Southern Resident superpod occurs when all members of the J, K, and L pods gather together in the same location. That’s 74 #whales!” cheknews.ca/all-southern...
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
They aren't technically marine mammals, but for the 40 grizzlies that roam B.C.'s Glendale Cove, the connection to the Salish Sea and its salmon is profound. There's some incredible footage of these bears in the latest Salish Sea Wild from @seadocsociety.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZZ...
The Salish Sea’s Grizzly Connection (Salish Sea Wild)
YouTube video by SeaDoc Society
www.youtube.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
They aren't technically marine mammals, but for the 40 grizzlies that roam B.C.'s Glendale Cove, the connection to the Salish Sea and its salmon is profound. There's some incredible footage of these bears in the latest Salish Sea Wild from @seadocsociety.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZZ...
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
💦♥️💦 Tue, Nov 11
Yesterday, all members of J, K, & L pod were together inland Puget Sound making for a true superpod!
Today, orcas present in Central Puget Sound, behaving like residents, so looks like at least some stayed over. ♥️
📸 SRKW breaches off Point Robinson on Nov 2. By Kas Alexis.
#psws
Yesterday, all members of J, K, & L pod were together inland Puget Sound making for a true superpod!
Today, orcas present in Central Puget Sound, behaving like residents, so looks like at least some stayed over. ♥️
📸 SRKW breaches off Point Robinson on Nov 2. By Kas Alexis.
#psws
November 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM
💦♥️💦 Tue, Nov 11
Yesterday, all members of J, K, & L pod were together inland Puget Sound making for a true superpod!
Today, orcas present in Central Puget Sound, behaving like residents, so looks like at least some stayed over. ♥️
📸 SRKW breaches off Point Robinson on Nov 2. By Kas Alexis.
#psws
Yesterday, all members of J, K, & L pod were together inland Puget Sound making for a true superpod!
Today, orcas present in Central Puget Sound, behaving like residents, so looks like at least some stayed over. ♥️
📸 SRKW breaches off Point Robinson on Nov 2. By Kas Alexis.
#psws
Closed out the Western Society of Naturalists meeting with talks about our drone work involving sharks and pinnipeds as well as studies of the rocky intertidal. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Closed out the Western Society of Naturalists meeting with talks about our drone work involving sharks and pinnipeds as well as studies of the rocky intertidal. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Rare footage shows sucker fish riding on a humpback whale near Gold Coast of Australia | Offbeat News | Sky News 🦑🧪
Rare footage shows sucker fish riding on a humpback whale near Gold Coast of Australia
The remoras, also known as sucker fish, survive on dead skin flakes and spend their lives aboard whales or other large sea creatures.
news.sky.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Rare footage shows sucker fish riding on a humpback whale near Gold Coast of Australia | Offbeat News | Sky News 🦑🧪
Day 1 of the Western Society of Naturalists meeting feature talks by graduate students Taylor Trivino & Olivia Bible on MPA efficacy & drone monitoring of the intertidal. More talks from the lab tomorrow. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones
November 8, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Day 1 of the Western Society of Naturalists meeting feature talks by graduate students Taylor Trivino & Olivia Bible on MPA efficacy & drone monitoring of the intertidal. More talks from the lab tomorrow. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones
Our MLEL team is in San Diego this week at the annual meeting of the Western Society of Naturalists. Come check out our team’s presentations this week. @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drone #drones
November 6, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Our MLEL team is in San Diego this week at the annual meeting of the Western Society of Naturalists. Come check out our team’s presentations this week. @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drone #drones
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Orcas are known for their predatory prowess and creative hunting strategies, but newly released drone videos are the first to show shark-stalking orcas disemboweling young great whites, flipping them over and plucking out their nutritious livers. https://wapo.st/3JKiHYo
November 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Orcas are known for their predatory prowess and creative hunting strategies, but newly released drone videos are the first to show shark-stalking orcas disemboweling young great whites, flipping them over and plucking out their nutritious livers. https://wapo.st/3JKiHYo
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Underwater robot embarks on "historic mission" to circumnavigate globe. What it finds could be crucial | Discover Wildlife
Underwater robot embarks on "historic mission" to circumnavigate globe. What it finds could be crucial | Discover Wildlife
The subsea glider is sailing around the world to collect important ocean data that could help refine long-term climate projections, say researchers.
www.discoverwildlife.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Underwater robot embarks on "historic mission" to circumnavigate globe. What it finds could be crucial | Discover Wildlife
Our MLEL drone team is featured as part of a new film about the Monterey Bay White Sharks project. The film highlights how scientists are using drones, telemetry and eDNA to study white sharks. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social youtu.be/eJdfyFnlc9Y?...
Monterey Bay White Sharks - Longer Film
YouTube video by Monterey Bay White Sharks
youtu.be
October 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Our MLEL drone team is featured as part of a new film about the Monterey Bay White Sharks project. The film highlights how scientists are using drones, telemetry and eDNA to study white sharks. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social youtu.be/eJdfyFnlc9Y?...
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
Undergraduate students and faculty in our Ocean Technology Program recently teamed up with Sea-Bird Scientific to see if a sophisticated ocean sensor could work in freshwater, too.
https://bit.ly/4nHDISw
https://bit.ly/4nHDISw
October 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Undergraduate students and faculty in our Ocean Technology Program recently teamed up with Sea-Bird Scientific to see if a sophisticated ocean sensor could work in freshwater, too.
https://bit.ly/4nHDISw
https://bit.ly/4nHDISw
Happening today, 10-11-25 from 5-10 PM. Meet our Monterey White Sharks Research team @ Other Brother Beer in Seaside. Learn about their cool research & see a screening of their new film. @mbarinews.bsky.social @misselasmo.bsky.social @oceansolutions.stanford.edu @montereybayaquarium.org
October 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Happening today, 10-11-25 from 5-10 PM. Meet our Monterey White Sharks Research team @ Other Brother Beer in Seaside. Learn about their cool research & see a screening of their new film. @mbarinews.bsky.social @misselasmo.bsky.social @oceansolutions.stanford.edu @montereybayaquarium.org
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
🐋📏Longer body size means more female calves for baleen whale moms, contradicting a popular evolutionary theory postulating that strong mammals benefit more from birthing males.
New research by UW QERM student Zoe Rand, @trevorabranch.bsky.social & Sarah Converse.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
New research by UW QERM student Zoe Rand, @trevorabranch.bsky.social & Sarah Converse.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Longer body size means more female calves for baleen whale moms
University of Washington researchers found, in historical whaling data, that longer baleen whale mothers were more likely to birth female calves than males. These results run contrary to a leading...
www.washington.edu
September 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
🐋📏Longer body size means more female calves for baleen whale moms, contradicting a popular evolutionary theory postulating that strong mammals benefit more from birthing males.
New research by UW QERM student Zoe Rand, @trevorabranch.bsky.social & Sarah Converse.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
New research by UW QERM student Zoe Rand, @trevorabranch.bsky.social & Sarah Converse.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.
September 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.
Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠
Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures
Drones are becoming increasingly useful in their ability to observe wildlife. They have been especially useful in documenting marine animals such as sharks. Here we present novel aerial drone observa....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab
New findings call into question one of the core assumptions about teeth. Adult male spotted ratfish have rows of teeth on top of their heads, in addition to those in their jaws. They use these teeth to grip females while mating. @karlycohen.bsky.social
More: www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
More: www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
September 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
New findings call into question one of the core assumptions about teeth. Adult male spotted ratfish have rows of teeth on top of their heads, in addition to those in their jaws. They use these teeth to grip females while mating. @karlycohen.bsky.social
More: www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
More: www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Our drone team recently returned from a survey trip where they captured this large sea lion haul out on San Carlos Beach; a popular dive spot in Monterey. The beach was the scene of a similar large haul out at the same time last year. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones
September 4, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Our drone team recently returned from a survey trip where they captured this large sea lion haul out on San Carlos Beach; a popular dive spot in Monterey. The beach was the scene of a similar large haul out at the same time last year. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones
Congratulations to the UWROV team!!!!!
We’re so proud of the UWROV team! These undergrads took top honors at the MATE ROV World Championships with their ROV, “Boxfish 2.0.” Boxfish 2.0 is helping advance #marine conservation and #climate research, as well as supporting renewable marine energy tech.
environment.uw.edu/news/2025/08...
environment.uw.edu/news/2025/08...
UW team takes top spots in international ROV competition
Each year, teams of students from around the globe convene at the MATE ROV World Championships to go head-to-head in an engineering competition to showcase cutting-edge marine technology. The competit...
environment.uw.edu
August 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Congratulations to the UWROV team!!!!!
Learn more about how scientists are using drones to study sperm whales. @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/s...
How Scientists Are Using Drones to Study Sperm Whales
www.nytimes.com
August 15, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Learn more about how scientists are using drones to study sperm whales. @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/s...
Our drone team recently completed offshore drone surveys with colleagues from @mbarinews.bsky.social Conducted as part of the Synchro program the team is testing how emerging marine technologies can be used to study pelagic systems. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Our drone team recently completed offshore drone surveys with colleagues from @mbarinews.bsky.social Conducted as part of the Synchro program the team is testing how emerging marine technologies can be used to study pelagic systems. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social