Peter T Fretwell
@ptfretwell.bsky.social
Scientist at British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge and author. Interest include Science, nature, cartography, Polar regions and satellite imagery/ remote sensing.
Happy Halloween. I'm off round the village with my daughter to scare a few kids ( not sure why they should have all the fun!)
October 31, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Happy Halloween. I'm off round the village with my daughter to scare a few kids ( not sure why they should have all the fun!)
This is Latady Island(pronounced la-tarday) in the Bellingshausen Sea in Antarctica. It is 115 km long, but as far as we can see from BAS records no human being has ever landed on it.
October 24, 2025 at 10:21 AM
This is Latady Island(pronounced la-tarday) in the Bellingshausen Sea in Antarctica. It is 115 km long, but as far as we can see from BAS records no human being has ever landed on it.
Looks like the Halley Bay emperors are back at the McDonald Ice Rumples site. This colony has been particularly unlucky with the ice, lets see how they do this year. (image; enhanced Sentinel-2 20th Sept 2025)
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Looks like the Halley Bay emperors are back at the McDonald Ice Rumples site. This colony has been particularly unlucky with the ice, lets see how they do this year. (image; enhanced Sentinel-2 20th Sept 2025)
And here's a love;y image from yesterday of Neumayer Station and the nearby emperor penguin colony at Atka Bay. Most of the recent emperor penguin documentaries have all been made from this site.
September 15, 2025 at 10:59 AM
And here's a love;y image from yesterday of Neumayer Station and the nearby emperor penguin colony at Atka Bay. Most of the recent emperor penguin documentaries have all been made from this site.
The emperor penguin colony at Cape Darlington, that we discovered in 2019, has moved 40 km south due to an ice shelf break off. Its current location is just south of Butler Island and it looks much better for the change of location.
September 15, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The emperor penguin colony at Cape Darlington, that we discovered in 2019, has moved 40 km south due to an ice shelf break off. Its current location is just south of Butler Island and it looks much better for the change of location.
I never realised the Bedmap had made it onto an album cover!
September 4, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I never realised the Bedmap had made it onto an album cover!
Each year as the sun starts to reappear over Antarctica I start the process of going through Sentinel2 imagery to find the locations of the 66 known emperor penguin colonies. Here is this year's first image, of Snow Hill, the most northerly colony. Can you spot the penguins?
August 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Each year as the sun starts to reappear over Antarctica I start the process of going through Sentinel2 imagery to find the locations of the 66 known emperor penguin colonies. Here is this year's first image, of Snow Hill, the most northerly colony. Can you spot the penguins?
Iceberg A23a is on the move again. Still over 50 km long as it rounds South Georgia.
July 28, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Iceberg A23a is on the move again. Still over 50 km long as it rounds South Georgia.
Proud to announce this:
April 25, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Proud to announce this:
10% tariffs on Macdonald Islands, 42% on the Falklands, I can see a trend. We need someone to do something about this anti-pengiun policy.
April 5, 2025 at 10:37 AM
10% tariffs on Macdonald Islands, 42% on the Falklands, I can see a trend. We need someone to do something about this anti-pengiun policy.
Happy "International Day of the Seal"
March 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Happy "International Day of the Seal"
We are currently at the time of year when Antarctic sea ice reaches minimum extent. This year ice in Antarctica is 740,00 km2 below normal (27% of the total). The lowest four years on record have been 2022,2023,2024 and 2025. This is the new normal, but how long until it reduces further?
February 21, 2025 at 9:33 AM
We are currently at the time of year when Antarctic sea ice reaches minimum extent. This year ice in Antarctica is 740,00 km2 below normal (27% of the total). The lowest four years on record have been 2022,2023,2024 and 2025. This is the new normal, but how long until it reduces further?
Just finished at the ESA Biospace conference, the first ESA conference on remote sensing of the Biosphere.
February 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Just finished at the ESA Biospace conference, the first ESA conference on remote sensing of the Biosphere.
And finally a kernal analysis to look at density - for this patch the density of Macaroni penguins (inside the pink line) is 1.54 penguins per square metre!
February 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
And finally a kernal analysis to look at density - for this patch the density of Macaroni penguins (inside the pink line) is 1.54 penguins per square metre!
Abit of spectral analysis to differentiate between chinstraps (green) and Macaronio (pink)
February 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Abit of spectral analysis to differentiate between chinstraps (green) and Macaronio (pink)
A quick bit analysis later and I have a count of 28,431 penguins
February 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
A quick bit analysis later and I have a count of 28,431 penguins
I've been working on automated penguin counting from some fantastic UAV imagery of chinstrap and Macaroni penguins on Zavadovski Island. Here is one of the original image mosaics.
February 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I've been working on automated penguin counting from some fantastic UAV imagery of chinstrap and Macaroni penguins on Zavadovski Island. Here is one of the original image mosaics.
Really proud to have some of our Wildlife from Space projects featured in the AGE OF AI exhibition at Bletchley Park.
February 7, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Really proud to have some of our Wildlife from Space projects featured in the AGE OF AI exhibition at Bletchley Park.
Summer over South Georgia. The glaciers pump millions of tonnes of sediments into the ocean which fuels a huge phytoplankton bloom sustaining one of the richest marine ecosystems on Earth. But as the glaciers recede and stop eroding, how long will this bounty last?
January 23, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Summer over South Georgia. The glaciers pump millions of tonnes of sediments into the ocean which fuels a huge phytoplankton bloom sustaining one of the richest marine ecosystems on Earth. But as the glaciers recede and stop eroding, how long will this bounty last?
Today is Penguin Awareness Day. Are you aware that most of the world's 40 million penguins don't live in the Antarctic? Most live north of Antarctica (but still in the Southern Hemisphere) around the Southern Ocean, like these Magellanic penguins in the Falkland Islands.
January 20, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Today is Penguin Awareness Day. Are you aware that most of the world's 40 million penguins don't live in the Antarctic? Most live north of Antarctica (but still in the Southern Hemisphere) around the Southern Ocean, like these Magellanic penguins in the Falkland Islands.
As I scientist, I am not allowed to use the term "cute", but.....
January 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM
As I scientist, I am not allowed to use the term "cute", but.....
Gentoos in the sun. Showing that even for a penguin, it always pays to look before you leap.
January 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Gentoos in the sun. Showing that even for a penguin, it always pays to look before you leap.
Our new Darwin+ project to count elephant seals on South Georgia has had a fantastic first season. Multiple ellie haul outs counted by drone and most of the rest of the coast imaged by satellite. The initial results will by out in 2025. Thanks to Connor, Nathan and MAXAR images.
December 19, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Our new Darwin+ project to count elephant seals on South Georgia has had a fantastic first season. Multiple ellie haul outs counted by drone and most of the rest of the coast imaged by satellite. The initial results will by out in 2025. Thanks to Connor, Nathan and MAXAR images.
What is the World's most southerly island? Google says its Ross Island, but this is untrue. The most southerly true island (not an ice rise) is Deverall Island in the Ross Ice Shelf. At 81.48° South it's 400 km south of Ross Island and half a degree further south than the bottom of Berkner Island.
December 16, 2024 at 3:05 PM
What is the World's most southerly island? Google says its Ross Island, but this is untrue. The most southerly true island (not an ice rise) is Deverall Island in the Ross Ice Shelf. At 81.48° South it's 400 km south of Ross Island and half a degree further south than the bottom of Berkner Island.