Dr Rowan Whittle

Figure 2 from the linked paper, showing our methodology workflow. We take the seafloor training imagery and split it based on substrate, depth, and seafloor angle. This is then patched down and processed using SAHI, which allows us to train an object detection model on a patch-level, retaining resolution. We then postprocess the detections, reprojecting them back to their location on the original image.

Heading to Honolulu for #ICCV? 🌺 Ease into the week with my talk on automating detection of seafloor organisms around Antarctica for biodiversity monitoring! 🐙 Catch it at the Joint Workshop on Marine Vision, Oct 19, Room 318B, 09:50–10:20. 📄: arxiv.org/abs/2507.21665

15.10.2025 08:58 — 👍 7    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0

An example output from our framework. An image of the Antarctic seafloor, with hundreds of organisms on it. The organisms each have a bounding box around them, a class label, and a confidence score produced by our framework.

🇦🇶 Our new paper detailing the automated detection of Antarctic benthic organisms using high-res in situ imagery has been accepted to the #ICCV2025 Joint Workshop on Marine Vision!

📄 Read the preprint now: arxiv.org/abs/2507.21665

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30.07.2025 15:50 — 👍 7    🔁 5    💬 1    📌 0

Surveying the deep: A review of computer vision in the benthos The analysis of image data for benthic biodiversity monitoring is now commonplace within the domain of marine ecology. Whilst advances in imaging tech…

🚨 New paper 🚨

Benthic ecologist curious about using computer vision? 🤖

Computer scientist wondering how to help protect benthic biodiversity? 🦀

Our latest review bridges the gap between these fields!

Check it out: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

27.01.2025 16:21 — 👍 9    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0

We are ready to get off!

22.12.2024 11:31 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Captain sailing ship

Approaching King George island, on the bridge of the Sir David Attenborough

22.12.2024 10:56 — 👍 16    🔁 1    💬 2    📌 0

People eating breakfast

We're making the most of our last hot breakfast on board the Sir David Attenborough before being dropped off on King George Island to camp for a month.

22.12.2024 10:18 — 👍 7    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Snowy rocky island

King George Island, home for the next month

22.12.2024 09:12 — 👍 9    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

We are approaching King George Island and the first big icebergs have appeared!

22.12.2024 09:04 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

We're headed towards the Antarctic Peninsula and it has just started snowing!!

21.12.2024 19:19 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Ship's crew members filling water bottles

The wonderful crew of the Sir David Attenborough are helping us with our kit and filling up our water bottles.

21.12.2024 13:24 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Field guide packing

Rowan and Saurav

Andy our field guide is making sure all our camping equipment is in the right place and Saurav and I are checking we have all the geological equipment

21.12.2024 13:23 — 👍 9    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Today we are in the cargo hold of the Sir David Attenborough, checking our equipment and preparing it for offloading

21.12.2024 13:21 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Following our safety drill on the ship this morning, we carried out the essential field preparation of checking our satellite communications equipment on the ship's deck.

20.12.2024 20:05 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

We are currently sailing through Drake's Passage to King George Island, to collect 26 million year old fossils. This will help us understand how Antarctic sea floor ecosystems evolved. Our team of me, Saurav Dutta (geochemist) and Andy Moles (field guide) will be camping for a month on the island.

20.12.2024 20:03 — 👍 20    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Fantastic talk today by @ming-tfk27.bsky.social talking about ecological complexity in the run up to the K-Pg extinction in Seymour Island

12.12.2024 13:44 — 👍 7    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0

lots of fossils in Antarctica!

PhD Opportunity:

'Eocene sea-floor ecosystem structure in response to environmental change'.

Student will be based at British Antarctic Survey (Cambridge), with Bristol University.

Project and contact details: www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Deadline 13th January
www.nercgw4plus.ac.uk/apply

06.12.2024 17:17 — 👍 14    🔁 14    💬 0    📌 0

Two people in orange clothing sitting on rocks next to water. In the background are snow covered pointy mountains. The sky above is blue. Photo credit: Joanne Johnson (BAS)

Starting out in Bluesky with one of my favourite photos of #Antarctica - here I am with a colleague on Lagoon Island, admiring the gorgeous view and the blue sky (very appropriate for this post!!).

I'm very lucky to work for @bas.ac.uk 😄 Follow me and you'll see more like this with some geology 🔬

28.11.2024 15:22 — 👍 53    🔁 5    💬 2    📌 0

Hello Bird Lovers of Bluesky! 🪶 Any chance of adding us to your Feeds?

Our team at Bird Island near Antarctica have sent us some cracking bird content to share over the next few weeks...
#addBirder #LetsGoBirding #seabirds

28.11.2024 18:42 — 👍 138    🔁 24    💬 6    📌 2

the face of an Antarctic worm taken by a microscope camera

the face of an Antarctic worm taken by a microscope camera

the face of an Antarctic worm taken by a microscope camera

the face of an Antarctic worm taken by a microscope camera

#Dragons! Face to face with some #Antarctic worms!

Collected and photographed by @hwiklund.bsky.social on our @bas.ac.uk expedition to the marine protected area around the South Orkney Islands in Antarctica. 588 species of seafloor worms are currently known from the Southern Ocean!

28.11.2024 13:23 — 👍 93    🔁 25    💬 2    📌 3

Rowan in a boat suit during field party deployment onto Seymour Island 2024

person in the snow

Hi I am Dr Rowan Whittle. My research is currently focused on protecting Antarctic sea floor ecosystems from environmental change by studying their evolution, their structure, and how they function, as a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the British Antarctic Survey.

28.11.2024 13:43 — 👍 46    🔁 5    💬 1    📌 1