Adrift Lab (Marine Science)
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adriftlab.bsky.social
Adrift Lab (Marine Science)
@adriftlab.bsky.social
Our brilliant & diverse team of (mostly) Australian-based #MarineScientists study #plastic in our #oceans & #wildlife 🐦🌊🏝🌈 We feature in BBC’s #drowninginplastic. We also have projects on #ClimateChange, #Bushfires, #MarineHeatwaves & #ArtSci collaboration
As if Alix doesn’t have enough papers (5 data chapters + 9 bonus papers - yes, that’s 16 in 3 years!), soon we’ll gather for another of our famous #WritingRetreats to smash out 2 new papers. Can’t wait to drink tea, eat 🍰, laugh & write for 5 days with our talented team 😍 #AdriftLab #seabirds
October 15, 2025 at 3:23 AM
If you’re in Australia, report your #BeachedBird observations here (especially important over the next 4-6 weeks) adriftlab.org/beached-bird...
Beached bird reports
adriftlab.org
October 9, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Over the next few weeks you may see folks posting about how a storm or ‘the wind’ killed the #muttonbirds & that this is why they’re washing up dead on beaches. This is false. #Seabirds have evolved for life on the open ocean & exist in some of the harshest environments on our planet
October 9, 2025 at 10:16 PM
#Seabirds use a highly efficient method of flight often called ‘slope soaring’ where they take advantage of wind eddies off the tops of the waves to give them extra lift. Rarely do they flap, and yet they’re catapulted forward at great speed
📸 credit: University of Oxford
October 9, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Adrift Lab (Marine Science)
A new study reveals many species were already declining before the 1970s—when most monitoring began. This is not surprising, BUT! It creates a serious shifting baseline risk, affecting restoration goals for at least 28 species 🧵3/3

Read the paper here ➡️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shifting the baseline for waterbird and seabird conservation in europe, risk assessment over one century - Biodiversity and Conservation
European waterbird and seabird populations have been threatened by anthropogenic activities for decades. Effective strategies are needed to restore both populations and their habitats. However, the temporal period used to define the state of reference when setting restoration targets requires careful considerations to avoid the risk of shifting baseline. A risk of shifting baseline occurs if a population decreases before the time period used to set a baseline. In Europe, most bird monitoring schemes started after the 1970s, yet significant changes in population trends were already reported earlier in the 20th century. We assessed the risk of shifting baseline for 88 out of 170 waterbird and seabird species breeding in Europe. Building on historical ecology, we reconstructed population trends between 1900 and 2018 from information collected in both historical literature and monitoring scheme reports. Historical trends confirm variations in population trends for several waterbird and seabird species over the period 1900-1970, with 35 decreasing species, 38 fluctuating species, 15 increasing species and 82 species with unknown trends. A high risk of shifting baseline was identified for 28 species, for which restoration targets must consider historical trends spanning at least a century. The risk was low for 12 species, probably low for 41 species, probably high for 7 species and uncertain for 82 species. Our study highlights the crucial role of historical data collected prior to the large-scale implementation of standardized abundance monitoring, as it allows for the identification of appropriate baselines to guide the restoration of waterbird and seabird breeding populations.
link.springer.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
A new study reveals many species were already declining before the 1970s—when most monitoring began. This is not surprising, BUT! It creates a serious shifting baseline risk, affecting restoration goals for at least 28 species 🧵3/3

Read the paper here ➡️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shifting the baseline for waterbird and seabird conservation in europe, risk assessment over one century - Biodiversity and Conservation
European waterbird and seabird populations have been threatened by anthropogenic activities for decades. Effective strategies are needed to restore both populations and their habitats. However, the temporal period used to define the state of reference when setting restoration targets requires careful considerations to avoid the risk of shifting baseline. A risk of shifting baseline occurs if a population decreases before the time period used to set a baseline. In Europe, most bird monitoring schemes started after the 1970s, yet significant changes in population trends were already reported earlier in the 20th century. We assessed the risk of shifting baseline for 88 out of 170 waterbird and seabird species breeding in Europe. Building on historical ecology, we reconstructed population trends between 1900 and 2018 from information collected in both historical literature and monitoring scheme reports. Historical trends confirm variations in population trends for several waterbird and seabird species over the period 1900-1970, with 35 decreasing species, 38 fluctuating species, 15 increasing species and 82 species with unknown trends. A high risk of shifting baseline was identified for 28 species, for which restoration targets must consider historical trends spanning at least a century. The risk was low for 12 species, probably low for 41 species, probably high for 7 species and uncertain for 82 species. Our study highlights the crucial role of historical data collected prior to the large-scale implementation of standardized abundance monitoring, as it allows for the identification of appropriate baselines to guide the restoration of waterbird and seabird breeding populations.
link.springer.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Europe’s #waterbird & #seabird populations have been declining for decades due to human activity. But are we using the right historical baselines to guide their restoration? 🧵2/3
#DecliningSpecies #birds #HistoricalData #LongTermMonitoring #ornithology #conservation
October 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Our team handles 100s of dead #seabirds each season. We try to cope with what we’re witnessing by documenting it in a shared field diary where we write, sketch & keep mementos from heartwarming and harrowing moments with the #birds
October 2, 2025 at 12:46 AM
October 1, 2025 at 7:41 AM
20 #surfboards were generously donated for leading Australian artists to transform into one-of-a-kind works of art (including one featuring our beloved #shearwaters).
October 1, 2025 at 7:41 AM