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Peter T Fretwell

@ptfretwell.bsky.social
403 followers 59 following 152 posts

Scientist at British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge and author. Interest include Science, nature, cartography, Polar regions and satellite imagery/ remote sensing.

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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
aretsch.bsky.social @aretsch.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
🐧Phoenix Penguin Colony 🇦🇶 Antarctica , Stancomb-Willy Ice Tongued. Seen from Space by 🛰Sentinel-2 2026.09.10 - 2026.10.07 Link.dataspace.copernicus.eu/rqz3 @ptfretwell.bsky.social
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Leconte @manchotempereur.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Hi, Peter. It looks like there's a broken link, so I'll post the article here.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The worlds largest penguin colony lost half a million penguins, it is the largest no more.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr9dzy24g2l7o
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aretsch.bsky.social @aretsch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
🐧Dawson-Lambton Penguin Colony 🇦🇶 Antarctica Seen from Space by 🛰Sentinel-2 Fortunately, they haven't given up there yet 👍 @ptfretwell.bsky.social @sentinelonline.bsky.social
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Currently (26 Sept 2026) there are four hurricane class storms in the equatorial Pacific at the same time. Is this unprecedented?
Live Hurricane Tracker | NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service https://share.google/JSwrejw6ZgeyRLXSi
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Latest paper now out www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
frontiersin.org
Frontiers | An updated census of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina at South Georgia using satellite imagery
Historically, South Georgia supported the largest breeding population of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina globally. Yet since 1995, this population h...
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Communications Biology @commsbio.nature.com · 21/09/2026
Satellite observations reveal five newly identified emperor penguin colony sites suggesting that colonies are dynamic relocating over long distances in response to changing ice conditions @ptfretwell.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk www.nature.com/articles/s42...
nature.com
Dynamic emperor penguin colonies - Communications Biology
Satellite observations reveal five newly identified emperor penguin colony sites, suggesting that colonies are dynamic, relocating over long distances in response to changing ice conditions and reshap...
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Emperor penguins are moving to avoid climate change. New paper now out: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Emperor penguins are moving home to avoid climate change. New paper now out: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
British Antarctic Survey 🐧 @bas.ac.uk · 17/09/2026
Hundreds of whales strand on a remote beach – and no one notices for months. Strandings can be an early warning system for ocean health, flagging pollution, disease, and environmental change. But in remote areas, they often go unseen. 🐳 🧵1/2
A diagram showing satellite images of whale strandings on a beach.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
🎉🎈👏🎊 Congratulations Dr Gill!
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
On that theme, cockatoo
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
www.solcreativefoundry.com/wild-world-a...
solcreativefoundry.com
Wild World: Antarctica Talk & Family Day | Sol Creative Foundry
A family day of Antarctic science, craft and storytelling in Dry Drayton, Cambridge, with a talk from British Antarctic Survey scientist Dr Peter Fretwell. 13 September.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In case you are interested the photo is of one of my field sites on the Sibelius Glacier, Alexander Island. A pyramid tent under an unnamed pyramidal peak, a spur of the 10,000 ft mt Stephenson.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Out today in paperback!
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
durham.ac.uk
Tracking emperor penguins from space - Durham University
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Loving it! 😍
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NASA piece on our emperor penguin work: science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
science.nasa.gov
A Changing World for Emperor Penguins - NASA Science
Experts are analyzing decades of images from Landsat satellites for clues about how the iconic birds have responded to sea ice disruptions in the past.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
In case you are wondering, its somewhere near Mt Vang on the spine of the Antarctic Peninsula. Published as paper copy in 1957.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This is one of my favourite maps in my collection. The ill judged FIDS 1:200k series maps of Antarctica., which tried to map the whole of British Antarctic Territory. Like many of the maps in this series, although it covers 18,000 km2, there is virtually nothing on it.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
👍
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
So yes, good news ,with caveats!
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
We are writing up papers at the moment. It's likely that all the data will be made public then. The conservation issue is a difficult one as indigenous people have the right to hunt ( within quotas) finding more walrus may affect those quotas.
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Lisa Fretwell @lisaefretwell.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I'm starting a new Drawing class in Cottenham as of Sept 8 2026 If you are interested, please just let me know! Bookings are going fast.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Would you predict a big hurricane year with all that hot water in the Atlantic Mike?
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Gale Sinatra @galesinatra.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
I think we just passed oops.
A timeline of climate change concern.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Article in the Guardian I'm quoted in highlighting the continued decline of sea ice in West Antarctica, and some of the consequences.
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Gregory Andrews @lyrebirddream.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Climate change isn’t waiting for us to finish with culture wars. Antarctica proves that every day.👇🏽 www.lyrebirddreaming.com/post/while-w...
lyrebirddreaming.com
While We Look Away, Antarctica is Melting
If you want a metaphor for our times, you could hardly do better than Antarctica in June 2026. While Pauline Hanson argues about migration and pronouns flags, and everyone gets whipped up into culture...
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
It's the middle of winter in Antarctica and temperatures have risen to +15 degrees C in some spots. Rain is melting the glaciers when snow should be replenishing them. Signs of accelerating change.
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Dr Michelle LaRue @drmichellelarue.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
We can track emperor penguins’ behavior… in the dark! During winter! When it’s just the males incubating eggs! This new tech gives us a leg up in understanding this iconic species 🌎🧪🦉🦑 Press release here: www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-eve...
Group of emperor penguins on the ice; photo taken under NZ permits to LaRue from a safe distance.
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Dr Michelle LaRue @drmichellelarue.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Here's one for you: our paper has been sent to three journals over the course of nine months... without a full review. The first journal found ONE person. The last journal tried 15 times and no dice. What on earth. Anyone want to read a paper about emperor penguins? 🦉🦑🌍🧪
Emperor penguin close up
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...
abc.net.au
China and Russia block conservation bid for endangered emperor penguin
The annual meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations has failed to reach consensus to designate the endangered emperor penguin as a "Specially Protected Species".
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Shrinking Sea Ice Is Ruffling Emperor Penguins’ Feathers eos.org/articles/shr...
eos.org
Shrinking Sea Ice Is Ruffling Emperor Penguins’ Feathers - Eos
A scientist stumbled upon evidence of penguin molting sites in satellite data, but the sea ice these birds rely on is disappearing.
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Hannah Cubaynes @whalesfromspace.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Looking for walrus detectives! 🕵️‍♀️
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
But you've forgotten to say that the ones on the upwind side get cold quicker and move into the middle more often. This means that over time the huddle moves downwind. Usually leaving a big brown stain behind them . This stain is what we see on satellite imagery and what we use to find them. 😁
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Reposted by Peter T Fretwell
Center for Biological Diversity @biologicaldiversity.org · 09/04/2026
Emperor penguins were just declared endangered by IUCN. In the face of climate change, these beloved penguins have been losing the sea ice they need to survive. This is another urgent warning that the world needs to end our reliance on fossil fuels.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Thanks, glad that you're enjoying it, it was great fun to write!
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Polar Prem 🦭(Prem Gill) @polarprem.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Passed my viva and (pending minor corrections) am a “Dr of Seals”! Thanks to my supervisors @ptfretwell.bsky.social and Gareth Rees for guiding me to this stage. #academia #phd #cambridge @bas.ac.uk @scottpolar.bsky.social @ukri.org @wwf.org.uk
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The new island that I found last month have now officially been named Magic Islands, after the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre in British Antarctic Survey where I work.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Copernicus Browser link from 31st January this year: browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu?zoom=13&lat=...
browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu
Copernicus Browser
Search, visualise and download Sentinel satellite imagery
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Discovered in Copernicus browser. I'll post the link later
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
By satellite. It has not yet been visited. It appears snow covered in earlier maps. So I doubt if anyone has seen it by eye yet.
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Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Link link.dataspace.copernicus.eu/gn5j and lake in close up
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
@bsky.app This weeks Antarctic discovery: The largest lake on the Antarctic Peninsula. Unnamed, as it only deglaciated over the last decade. It's on a place called View Point on the Eastern side of the Peninsula. There are other larger lakes in the region, but this is the largest on the mainland.
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Point Blue Conservation Science @pointblue.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
🐧❄️🧪🌏🦑🦉 New publication! Led by @rosetazetta.bsky.social, we used satellite imagery to study Ross Sea #emperorpenguin populations over 20+ years & found that spring colony attendance is closely linked to sea ice conditions. Learn more: shorturl.at/joLZA
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Eos @eos.org · 24/03/2026
In new research, @ptfretwell.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk discovered emperor #penguin molting sites in satellite images—sites threatened by the disappearance of sea ice. 🐧🧊🧪 Comments from @drmichellelarue.bsky.social at Univ. of Canterbury; story by @andrewchapman.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/shr...
eos.org
Shrinking Sea Ice Is Ruffling Emperor Penguins’ Feathers - Eos
A scientist stumbled upon evidence of penguin molting sites in satellite data, but the sea ice these birds rely on is disappearing.
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Did I just read 32% decline in 5 years????
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Dr Michelle LaRue @drmichellelarue.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
🦑🦉🧪🌎
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British Antarctic Survey 🐧 @bas.ac.uk · 20/03/2026
Hello Walrus-spotters of Bluesky! Meet Dr Hannah Cubaynes, who is leading the Walrus from Space citizen science counting project. Help count here ➡️ geohive.vantor.com/walrus/login Watch Hannah's talk about her (prize-winning) work tracking animals with satellites 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=99YS...
youtube.com
Whales & walrus from space | Dr Hannah Cubaynes Law Prize Lecture | British Antarctic Survey
YouTube video by British Antarctic Survey
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Peter T Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
If your in London tomorrow come along to the Shackleton Store to hear about "Penguins in Peril" and the Penguin Book of Penguins at a free event.https://shackleton.com/pages/events
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