Dr Luis Huckstadt

@uniexecec.bsky.social @exetermarine.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk @uncwtiftlab.bsky.social @ucscscience.bsky.social @dancosta2025.bsky.social

Semi‐automated seal detection on the Western Antarctic Peninsula: an unsupervised machine learning approach for detecting ice seals in aerial survey data This study presents a semi-automated, rule-based image analysis pipeline to detect ice seals in aerial surveys of the Western Antarctic Peninsula during an unusually low sea ice year. By using simple...

🚨New Paper Alert 🚨
This study is the first paper out of our #NSF #NERC @ukri.org project on Antarctic crabeater seals 🦭. It provides a new approach to detect seals and reports an alarming drop in seal density zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Our BehaveAI paper has just come out!

Easy & effective tracking & behavioural classification, even with tiny (2px), fast moving, camouflaged objects.

Paper: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Download: github.com/troscianko/B...

@uniexecec.bsky.social @kevinjgaston.bsky.social @jimamclgalloway.bsky.social

A bit late as traffic was bad but I made it to the @marinemammalogy.bsky.social UK and Ireland Student Chapter meeting and I am ready to start my talk @ukirsc.bsky.social

Happy (belated) #AntarcticaDay! This continent and associated marine environment are critical for the entire planet. And human activities are already causing major shifts in this remote region of the world.

**PhD opportunity @uniexecec.bsky.social** How is immunogenetic variation maintained in the wild?

Why are alleles that increase disease susceptibility maintained in populations, when natural selection should eliminate them?

Bird Flu Ravaged the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Study Finds

Bird Flu Ravaged the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Study Finds www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/s...

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses (HPAIV) Associated with Major Southern Elephant Seal Decline at South Georgia - Communications Biology Arrival of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in 2023 has triggered dramatic declines in attendance of female southern elephant seals during the 2024...

Our new paper, estimating the impact of the bird flu on elephant seals in South Georgia, came out today. The virus caused a decline of 47% of the adult female population 🦭🦑🌎🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s42...

a cartoon of spongebob saying `` can i take a break '' in front of a door . ALT: a cartoon of spongebob saying `` can i take a break '' in front of a door .

That be me

I did tell one… but telling two felt a bit too self indulgent 🤷‍♂️ . I guess my social anxiety and imposter syndrome took over 🤣! But always so proud and grateful of being part of the @ologies.bsky.social family!

Almost every time I have worn my @ologies.bsky.social hoodie in Sitka I get comments about how amazing the podcast is by random people… and they don’t even know that I was on an episode! I got two people telling me it was their favorite podcast yesterday at the airport! #pinnipedologist

We saw brown bears! 🐻 A mom and two cubs 🥰 - this field course is setting the bar high for the future trips!

Second day was dedicated to learning about ecological succession in the boreal forest, the effect of wild fires and the challenges that #ClimateChange poses to this fragile and important ecosystem - the moss beds were literally like walking on clouds @uniexecec.bsky.social

A good start to our field course! A red fox 🦊 is hanging out just outside the MacBride museum in Whitehorse, where we are meeting students for the first time before heading out to Kluane Lake Research Station @uniexecec.bsky.social

Let's hear it for #MultipleSclerosis doc & medical hero, Dr. Aaron Boster!

Send his vids to those affected by MS:
www.youtube.com/c/AaronBoste...

follow him at @aaronbostermd.bsky.social

and listen to his Ologies ep here:
www.alieward.com/ologies/neur...

This ep help you? Would love to hear.

Heading to the Yukon to teach our @uniexecec.bsky.social field course! Flying over Greenland never gets old but it’s also a clear reminder of how fast our planet is warming up #climatechange 🌎

Polar stereographic map showing Antarctic sea ice concentration anomalies for August 2025 compared to a 1981-2010 average. Data is from https://nsidc.org/data/g02202/versions/5.

The rate of #Antarctic sea ice extent growth has increased over the last few weeks as we approach this year's annual maximum (austral winter). No new records will be set this year, thought current ice concentration remains quite low in several regions.

+ More at zacklabe.com/antarctic-se...

Today is the 20th anniversary of the day I left Chile to start my PhD… Lots has changed. Lots to reflect. Lots to remember. Lots still to learn #immigrantscientist

Back to the basics… teaching biological oceanography feels like coming back home @exetermarine.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social #NewAcademicYear #MarineEcology

Jim Estes, biologist who revealed how sea otters shape entire ecosystems, died on May 20, aged 79 When Jim Estes first arrived in the Aleutian Islands in 1970, he expected a routine wildlife survey. What he found was the outline of a scientific revelation. In places where sea otters thrived, the o...

www.butlernature.com/2025/08/20/j...
🦭

Question for the wide marine ecology community. I am teaching a marine ecology (biological oceanography) module for undergraduate at @uniexecec.bsky.social Anyone knows of resources to find papers published by minorities on any subject of relevance? 🌍🧪🌊🦑🦭🐟🦈

Chile (Chevening Scholarship) | Chevening Chevening Scholarships for Chileans looking to study in the UK

🚨‼️Atencion biólogos marinos de Chile!!! Postulen a esta beca para venir a hacer el MSc en Ecologia y Conservación de Vertebrados Marinos en @exeter.ac.uk -
@exetermarine.bsky.social .
www.chevening.org/scholarship/...

Today's new animation shows yearly changes in average sea surface temperature anomalies from 1982 (start of dataset) through last year. Note the large variability, long-term warming trends, and contrasts between different coastal regions.

U.S. climate indicators: zacklabe.com/united-state... 🌊

Did it! With Dr. @luishuckstadt.bsky.social!

www.alieward.com/ologies/pinn...

Are you an early-career biologist or ecologist who would benefit from an invited seminar? Would you like to come to UMaine next fall or spring to give a talk? Leave a brief comment with some info about what you do. I'm co-hosting our seminar series again, and am filling out our rosters.

Atlantic Bluefin tuna are back in UK waters, but we still don’t exactly know what they are eating.
Support crucial marine research to help uncover the secrets of their diet and secure their future.
To find out more: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/atlantic-b...
🦑🧪🌍🐟🎣🦤🌊

What Ocean Ramsey does is not shark science or conservation: some brief thoughts on “the Shark Whisperer” documentary Netflix has a new (sarcastic air quotes) “documentary” out about Ocean Ramsey, who longtime readers and followers know is a serial wildlife harasser who also coordinates massive online …

www.southernfriedscience.com/what-ocean-r...

A great week discussing everything 🦭 in the UK, population status and main issues with amazing colleagues and in a beautiful place. Can’t wait to meet again next year!

📣Announcing the launch of SealMAP: Seal Mapping & Analysis Platform. This SMRU app allows you to explore & download the latest grey & harbour seal distribution maps for Scotland. You can also get estimates of density for your area of interest. Happy mapping! arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/shiny/smru/s... 🦭🗺️