We (@rowanwhittlebas.bsky.social; @jdwitts.bsky.social; @huwiceandstuff.bsky.social ; @egmitchell.bsky.social and Andrea Manica) used ecosystem complexity (measured as non-random pairwise co-occurrences of taxa and metacommunity structure) as proxies to assess ecosystem health in latest Cretaceous.

Whooper swans are supposed to winter in the uk but this adorable honker has been in Cambridge 2 weeks already! Sound on 🔊 for whooping!

My whale photo got shortlisted in the Royal Society of Biology @rsb.org.uk ‬ Photographer of the Year competition. It is of a whale's chin! Do me a favour and give it a vote here and check out the other amazing photos: www.surveymonkey.com/r/T23CPZC @bas.ac.uk

We need your help! This year, entrants to our photography competition were asked to explore the theme 'Restoring Biodiversity and Habitat'. A panel of judges has shortlisted the entries & now it's your turn to help decide the winners. Cast your vote via our survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/T23CPZC

My whale photo got shortlisted in the Royal Society of Biology @rsb.org.uk ‬ Photographer of the Year competition. It is of a whale's chin! Do me a favour and give it a vote here and check out the other amazing photos: www.surveymonkey.com/r/T23CPZC @bas.ac.uk

Beautiful butterflies in #cambridge this weekend!

#pride month is upon us! This progress pride flag is made from images of Antarctic animals!

Bugs from my walk!

New paper alert! 🚨 rdcu.be/entY4 In the second paper of my PhD, published today in Scientific Reports, we investigated the spatial ecology of two solitary scleractinian coral morphotoypes, which are likely Caryophyllia or Flabellum, from the Powell Basin slopes of Antarctica 🇦🇶 .

PhDone!!! Passed my viva with minor corrections! Thanks to @egmitchell.bsky.social @huwiceandstuff.bsky.social @rowanwhittlebas.bsky.social and Andrea Manica for supervising, and Prof Rob Fletcher and @dralexdunhill.bsky.social for examining!

Surfing dolphins in the Falklands! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Good morning from the Falklands! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Hello A23a! The world’s biggest iceberg! Stretching as far as we can see! #biopole2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

What happens when giant #icebergs start to fall apart! #biopole2 #antarctica #southgeorgia #ice #A23a @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

The world’s biggest iceberg, A23a, emerges from the fog! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Breaching #humpbacks and diving #southernrightwhales! Even on a misty day #biopole2 doesn’t disappoint! #whales #antarctica @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Chinstrap #penguins #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Humpback whale in the crystal clear Antarctic water! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

The perfect day for Antarctic science. #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Minke mania today! Minke #whales came to check us out! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Another berg faces the storm! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

#iceberg vs #storm! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

#iceberg drifting by as the #storm builds! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

A #seapig: a type of #seacucumber or #holothurian. This one comes from 600 m down near the South Orkney Islands off #Antarctica. #BIOPOLE2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

This whale really wanted us to know it was there! #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Views from today! #BIOPOLE2

Cape petrels ride out the #windy weather as we sail southward into the Weddell #Sea! #Antarctica #BIOPOLE2 #wildlife @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

Yesterday we caught some beautiful #seaspiders! These gorgeous pycnogonids come from 500 m deep near the South Orkney Islands in #Antarctica. #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Chinstrap #penguin, swimming under water! #biopole2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Stunning view of a #humpback #whale in the sunshine! #BIOPOLE2 has been blessed with #wildlife encounters! @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

Sampling with a view… #BIOPOLE2 #iceberg

Tiny chinstrap #penguin on a big berg! #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Happy #saintdavidsday! Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! Cooking 120 Welsh cakes with fellow Welsh @bas.ac.uk and @biopole.bsky.social member Geraint, with supervision from chef Steve! #BIOPOLE2

Today’s view from the porthole! #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

How do you monitor ocean processes and ecosystems over a long time period? 📢 Introducing the Western Core Box (or WCB for short!) WCB is a @bas.ac.uk program of observations about ocean processes and marine ecosystems near to South Georgia.

“I spy with my little eye” - spy-hopping is when a whale raises its head out of the water. These humpbacks were taking a look at us and giving us a view of their barnacles. #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Some shots of the humpback #whale magic. A whole morning of being surrounded by huge animals who were watching us as much as we were watching them! #bippole2 #marinebiology #antarctica #wildlife #nature #animals @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

That's me in orange and that's a humpback #whale tail behind me. Thanks to Braydon for taking the photo! #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

How close were the humpback whales today? This close! #BIOPOLE2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

The early days of the BIOPOLE II science cruise on the #RRSSirDavidAttenborough included trialling instruments in preparation for three phases of science: 🦐 Western Core Box 💧 A23 hydrographic transect 🧊 BIOPOLE Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to so far ⬇️ www.instagram.com/reel/DGif314...

Views from today. #biopole2

After dark on the #RRSSirDavidAttenborough. Search lights in the fog! #biopole2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

Snowing again

Finished my #SouthGeorgia #whale drawing. Using ink dots to draw the species of whale we saw last week: Blue, Humpback and Southern Right whale! #BIOPOLE2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

The beautiful views in #Antarctica 🤣

South of 60° - welcome to #Antarctic waters! #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

A chance to draw some of what we have seen…. To be continued #BIOPOLE2 @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

A spectacular and emotional experience leaving #SouthGeorgia and passing through a group of around 500 #humpback #whales. They were everywhere! #biopole2 #marninebiology #cetaceans #Antarctic @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

Hourglass #dolphins escort the #RRSSirDavidAttenborough out of #SouthGeorgia waters. #biopole2 #nature #marinebiology @bas.ac.uk @biopole.bsky.social

Goodbye #SouthGeorgia, you have been amazing. Stunning scenery, sunsets, whales and interesting weather! Now we head southwards into the open ocean…. #BIOPOLE2 @biopole.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk