Dr Zara Botterell
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zarabotterell.bsky.social
Dr Zara Botterell
@zarabotterell.bsky.social
500 followers 130 following 1 posts
Marine Biodiversity Researcher at Bluedot Associates, UK
Marine Verts and Inverts, Conservation, Plastic Pollution
🦈🐬🐋🦞🦐🐟🦀 🌊
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
pml.ac.uk
A #NewStudy reveals that mixed #microplastic blends may be substantially more toxic to key marine food-web species than single polymers: pml.ac.uk/news/impacts...
Impacts of mixed microplastics on marine life
Innovative study indicates that a mixed microplastic blend may be substantially more toxic than a single polymer on a key marine food-web species.
pml.ac.uk
April 29, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
mattwarephd.bsky.social
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Fresh from the digital presses, if you've been curious about microplastic contamination of beaches, check out this absolutely massive effort. Congrats @zarabotterell.bsky.social for seeing this across the finish line!

tinyurl.com/3c2eusdj
🦑🐢🐍🌊🏖🌎 🧪
A screenshot of a scientific manuscript including the title and initial author list
March 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New collaborative study finds 45% of sampled marine turtle nesting beaches worldwide are contaminated by microplastics.

Full paper - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🐢🦑🌍🌐🧪🌊
#AcademicSky #SeaTurtles @brendangodley.bsky.social @zarabotterell.bsky.social
background is two sea turtle hatchlings. around the edges are shapes to depict microplastics. text reads: 'microplastics abundant on almost half of turtle nesting beaches globally. botterell et al (2025) marine pollution bulletin.' the university of exeter logo is n the bottom right corner. blurred background of two sea turtle hatchlings around the edges are shapes to depict microplastics. text reads: 'in a huge co' the university of exeter logo is n the bottom right corner. 'five types of plastics were identified: pellets, foam, fragments, sheet and threads' a close-up image of microplastics on a cloth is in a circle in the centre of the page. 'The highest proportion of contamination was found in the mediterranean (80%).'
March 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
alicetrevail.bsky.social
New open access paper! Led by Joshua Coste

Results show tropical seabirds meet diurnal constraints by navigating efficiently back to low-lying reef atoll colonies
doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

Great work from Joshua's masters internship with @uniexecec.bsky.social and @iomarinescience.bsky.social
February 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New paper alert! 🚨Plastic pollution transcends marine protected area boundaries in the eastern tropical and south-eastern Pacific 🌊

Great team effort from the Pacific Plastics: Science to Solutions Research Programme! 🧪🌍

doi.org/10.1016/j.ma...

@uniofexeter.bsky.social
@zarabotterell.bsky.social
March 25, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
Great to be involved in this fantastic collaborative paper investigating the use of loggerhead turtles to monitor #plasticpollution in the Eastern Mediterranean 🐢 🌊

Read #openaccess here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ma...

Great to see involvement of many past & present @exetergses.bsky.social MSc students!
February 26, 2024 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
ananuno.bsky.social
Protecting sea turtles... at whose cost? Conservation has wide-ranging social impacts - both positive and negative... and we must assess them and share lessons. New paper from Sara Vieira's PhD! link.springer.com/article/10.1... Beautiful summary by Victor Jiménez! @exetermarine.bsky.social
February 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New #publication led by @caspergeer.bsky.social: sharing insights from >20 years of community-based #SeaTurtle conservation in Kenya by Local Ocean Conservation. 50% increase in clutches per nesting season but human threats remain high & #conservation efforts must continue.

doi.org/10.1017/S003...
January 16, 2024 at 12:07 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
annieleymarie.bsky.social
Lead author and tipping points expert prof Tim Lenton has also stressed the role of "positive tipping points", including actions that any one of us can - and should! - take:
www.positive.news/environment/...
December 7, 2023 at 7:16 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
owenexeter.bsky.social
First post on here is something different to my usual stormy UK work. Finishing an incredible trip researching the new Côte d'Ivoire 🇨🇮 MPA with @kristianmetcalfe.bsky.social and local NGO CEM. Featuring some stunning coral reefs on our cameras 🐟🐠🐡
@exetermarine.bsky.social @exetergses.bsky.social
Coral reef camera survey
December 4, 2023 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetergses.bsky.social
Conserving and sustainably using our #oceans, seas and marine resources, is essential for ensuring a healthier future for all life on earth.

We offer three programmes allowing you to specialise in a specific area of #marine conservation.

➡️ www.exeter.ac.uk/study/gses/o...

#ExeterMarine 🌏 🧪 🦑
November 21, 2023 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
✨ New Research! ✨ Efficacy of artificial nest shading as a #climatechange adaptation measure for marine #turtles at Ascension Island from postgraduate researcher Jack Wiggins & team 🐢

Read #openaccess here: wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#ExeterCEC #ExeterMarine 🌏 🧪 🦑
November 17, 2023 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
prodelphinus.bsky.social
As part of the project "Assessment of bycatch impact of sea turtle hatchlings in nesting sites in Peru", we have placed signs on nesting beaches in Lobitos - Piura, in order to raising people's awareness, prevent the circulation of motorized vehicles and unsupervised pets.
November 10, 2023 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
Delighted that our Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability is online www.exeter.ac.uk/study/gses/ and on @exetergses.bsky.social
Themes from Critical Minerals to Marine Environment to Sustainable Development and Business 🌏🧪🦑 #ExeterGSES #ExeterESI #ExeterCEC @uniofexeternews.bsky.social
November 10, 2023 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
announcing the joining of Hannah @marinehgreen.bsky.social and @exetermarine.bsky.social
Marine forests, Arctic Ocean acidification, multi stressors to marine life. #ExeterMarine
November 6, 2023 at 12:06 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
V striking image depicting country breakdown of marine plastic pollution. It does not, however, encompass info on poverty driving single use plastic, country products are produced or where corporations, or shareholders profiting from cheap packaging are based!! 🌏🦑🧪
From the "plastic pollution" feed.
simongerman600.bsky.social Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · Nov 1
Capturing waste locally is the most important step in preventing plastic pollution of our Oceans. Source: www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualize...
November 3, 2023 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
Announcing the joining of Dr @alicetrevail.bsky.social Excellent seabird ecologist, particularly movement ecology, working at #ExeterESI and part of @exetermarine.bsky.social 🌏🦑🧪🐧
November 3, 2023 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
lucymarine.bsky.social
Published today, a letter from our plastic and biodiversity working group "Plastics Treaty text must center ecosystems" #inc3 #PlasticsTreaty #biodiversity #ExeterCEC @carmenmc.bsky.social @bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Science | AAAS
www.science.org
November 3, 2023 at 8:30 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New research from @uniofexeter.bsky.social, SPOT and
Çukurova University ⬇️

Using #bycatch data to assess diversity & distribution of #elasmobranch species caught by commercial #fishing in Cyprus shows importance of coastal waters for 🦈 species ⚠️

📰 tinyurl.com/2sdzca4x

#ExeterCEC #ExeterMarine 🌏🦑
October 31, 2023 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
brendangodley.bsky.social
FB tells me this was 8 years ago. Our 1st marine turtle plastic pollution paper. @sarahenelms.bsky.social is now a lecturer mentoring 2 of her own PhD students & Emily Duncan is working with NGOs across the world on plastics. Good people do great things! Open Access: academic.oup.com/icesjms/arti...
October 25, 2023 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
prodelphinus.bsky.social
We want to share one of our latest scientific articles about cephalopods. In this article, we identified and characterized the beaks of 18 species of cephalopods found in the stomach contents of three shark species.

Read here: doi.org/10.21142/SS-...

#ExeterCEC #MarineLife, 🦑
October 25, 2023 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New Publication! Led by #PhD researcher Josie Palmer @uniofexeter.bsky.social Multidisciplinary approach to assess fishery operating behaviours and landings inc. 25 species of marine turtles and elasmobranchs 🧪🌎🦈🐢Read here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 12, 2023 at 8:44 AM
Reposted by Dr Zara Botterell
exetermarine.bsky.social
New paper on megafauna-purse seine fisheries interactions from the amazing team at @prodelphinus.bsky.social inc. Dr Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto & Dr Jeffrey Mangel, @uniofexeter.bsky.social alumni and visiting researchers! 🦈🐟🦑🧪🌎

➡️ Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.fi...
October 18, 2023 at 9:12 AM