University of Washington Marine Landscape Ecology Lab

Title slide for a talk about using drones to study pinniped. The slide has an image of sea lions and the logos for the University of Washington and the Monterey Bay White Sharks Project.

Today lab PI, Dr. Corey Garza, speaks at 2:30 @ Ocean Sciences 2026 on ongoing work on the use of drones, AI & image analysis to study pinniped populations in Monterey Bay. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones #drone #dronesforconservation #OSM26

From the deep sea to Scotland! 🌊✨

The MBARI team is @agu.org's Ocean Sciences Meeting, sharing the latest in ocean research, engineering innovation, and other stories from the deep.

Stay tuned for more updates and stories from the week! #OSM26 #OceanScienceMeeting

This week our team is at the 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Today MLEL grad student Taylor Trivino presents her poster “Redefining Participation in Coastal Management: Indicators from a Central California MPA Case Study” from 4-6. Stop by poster 116 to learn more about her work.

Buzz of the Olympics: How drone cams deliver high-pace visuals and add a new dynamic for TV viewers Drone cameras are changing how boradcasters show Olympic winter sports by chasing athletes down the course for fast and close-up shots.

Learn more about how drones are improving coverage of the Winter Olympics. apnews.com/article/wint...

Collage of past and present women from our lab using drones in the field and speaking at conferences.

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science. A big shout out to the women of MLEL past and present who have been pushing boundaries in the use of technology in marine science. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the American Fisheries Society proudly celebrates the women and girls shaping the future of fisheries and aquatic science!

#WomenInScience #GirlsInSTEM #FisheriesScience #AFS #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience

Coming in for another happy landing. Our drone team wrapped up day one of intertidal mapping @uscwrigley.usc.edu on Catalina Island. They are back in the field later today. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social #drone #catalinaisland

Our morning work commute is a little different. Our drone team is off to the @uscwrigley.usc.edu on Catalina Island for two days of rocky intertidal surveys. #drone #CatalinaIsland @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social

A pair of humpback whales as viewed from the air.

A pair of humpback whales viewed from the air.

Thar be whales!!! Our image analysis team came across a pair of humpback whales in one of our drone images taken during a recent survey in Monterey Bay. You never know what might show up in a drone image. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social

Summer 2026 opportunity (June-Aug) for a UW undergraduate to participate in coastal drone research in British Columbia, California, and Washington. Rising juniors and seniors preferred. $6,000 stipend, research and conference travel support available. Submit up to 2-page statement of interest, unofficial transcripts, and up to 2-page CV to marlel@uw.edu by February 20, 2026. Submit questions to marlel@uw.edu Additional internship details can be found at: sites.uw.edu/marlel/opportunities

We are accepting applications for a paid summer undergrad position in our lab. Position open to Univ of Washington undergrads majoring in in any STEM discipline. Applications due Feb 20. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwenvironment.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social @undergradresearch.bsky.social

In the Arctic, Drones Help Identify Deadly Virus in Whales

Learn about how drones can be used to assess disease risk in whales. @uwsafs.bsky.social @uwmarinebiology.bsky.social #drones www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/s...

@thembauk.bsky.social @osuceoas.bsky.social @vliz.be @ubcoceans.bsky.social @unc-emes.bsky.social @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social @seos-uvic.bsky.social @uaf-oarc-alaska.bsky.social

@uwsafs.bsky.social & Friday Harbor Labs are now advertising for an assistant professor position with a specialty in marine invertebrate organismal biology. @csucoast.bsky.social @uscwrigley.usc.edu @scrippsocean.bsky.social @mbarinews.bsky.social @woods.stanford.edu @ucdmarinescience.bsky.social

Image of a drone dressed up in Christmas attire delivering a gift.

Merry Christmas from the MLEL team.

Left: Live Millepora colony encrusting a large boulder in Lameshur Bay, St. John, in March 2024. Right: The same Millepora colony, now dead on the same large boulder in Lameshur Bay in March 2025. CREDIT: Peter J. Edmunds

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

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.

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.

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.⁠

Discover what's new with CeNCOOS in our latest Fall Community Newsletter!

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...

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.

“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...

The Salish Sea’s Grizzly Connection (Salish Sea Wild) YouTube video by SeaDoc Society

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...

💦♥️💦 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

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

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.

Rare footage shows sucker fish riding on a humpback whale near Gold Coast of Australia | Offbeat News | Sky News 🦑🧪

Student talking about MPAs.

Student talking about MPAs.

Student talking about drones.

Student talking about drones.

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

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

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.

Underwater robot embarks on "historic mission" to circumnavigate globe. What it finds could be crucial | Discover Wildlife

Monterey Bay White Sharks - Longer Film YouTube video by Monterey Bay White Sharks

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?...

Two individuals in life jackets are assembling scientific equipment by Portage Bay in seattle on a sunny day.

A group of seven individuals standing outdoors in a sunny setting beside scientific equipment, with a Clean Harbors truck visible in the background. They are dressed in casual outdoor attire and are smiling at the camera.

Four individuals examining scientific equipment on a dock by a body of water, with a person kneeling in front center holding the device.

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