Current role

Andy Wood is an Emeritus Fellow working with the Ecosystems team.  He is a Chartered Information Technology Professional.

Previous positions

• 2009 – 2023.  Marine Predator Ecologist – British Antarctic Survey.
• 2003 – 2009.  Senior Systems Consultant – British Antarctic Survey.
• 1989 – 2003.  Database Administrator – British Antarctic Survey.
• 1984 – 1989.  Off-shore Biological Programme Database Manager – British Antarctic Survey.

Research interests

My research interests are in the ecology and conservation of seabirds, and the application of data science and information technology in support of this.

Hamer, K.C., Phillips, R.A., Hill, J.K.,Wanless, S. and Wood, A.G. (2001). Contrasting foraging strategies of gannets Morus bassanus at two North Atlantic colonies: foraging trip duration and foraging area fidelity. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 224: 283-290.

Xavier, J. C., Wood, A. G., Croxall, J. P. and Rodhouse, P. G. (2001). New estimates of cephalopod prey stocks based on predator diet – implications for South Atlantic fisheries. ICES CM 2001/K:37

Berrow, S.D., Wood, A.G. and Prince, P.A. (2000). Foraging location and range of White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis breeding in the South Atlantic. J. Avian Biol. 31: 303-311.

Croxall, J.P., Prince, P.A., Trathan, P.N. and Wood, A.G. (1996). Distribution and movements of South Georgia black-browed albatrosses: implications for Falkland Islands populations. Warrah 9: 7-9.

Arnould, J.P.Y., Briggs, D.R., Croxall, J.P., Prince, P.A. and Wood, A.G. (1996). The foraging behaviour and energetics of wandering albatrosses brooding chicks. Antarctic Science 8: 229-236.

Ward, P., A. Atkinson, A.W.A. Murray, A.G. Wood, R. Williams, S.A. Poulet. (1994). The summer zooplankton community at South Georgia: biomass, vertical migration and grazing. Polar Biology 9: 45-52.

Prince, P.A., P. Rothery, J.P. Croxall and A.G. Wood. (1994). Population dynamics of Black-browed and Grey-headed Alabtrosses Diomeda melanophris and D. chrysostoma at Bird Island, South Georgia. Ibis 136: 50-71.

Prince, P.A., A.G. Wood, T. Barton and J.P. Croxall. (1992). Satellite tracking of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) in the South Atlantic. Antarctic Science 4: 31-36.

Ward, P., Atkinson, A., Peck, J.M., and Wood, A.G. (1990). Euphausiid life cycles and distribution around South Georgia. Antarctic Science 2: 43-52.

Wood, A.G. (1988). Discriminant and graphical analyses of Norwegian Knot biometrics: the sex and race problem revisited. Wader Study Group Bull. 52: 9-11.

Wood, A.G. (1987). Discriminating the sex of Sanderling Calidris alba: some results and their implications. Bird Study 34: 200-204.

Wood, A.G. (1986). Diurnal and nocturnal territoriality in the Grey Plover at Teesmouth, as revealed by radio telemetry. J. Field Ornithol. 57: 213-221.

Wood, A.G. (1984). Time and energy budgets of the Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) at Teesmouth. Ph.D. thesis, University of Durham.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• Dunn, M., Adlard, S., Taylor, A., Wood, A., Trathan, P., & Ratcliffe, N. (2021). Un-crewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) derived population counts of gentoo and chinstrap penguin and South Georgia shag colonies on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, 2016-2018 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/f3d9004a-e788-4104-a1a9-54fa80b533a1

• Wood, A. (2020). Whole island counts of South Georgia Shag nests at Bird Island, South Georgia, from 1989-2020 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/fc18715a-07d6-4d03-b27c-124637338201

1. Conservation and leadership in Southern Ocean ecosystems

   CONSEC explores how climate change and human activity are transforming the Southern Ocean, guiding global science and conservation.

   Read more of: Conservation and leadership in Southern Ocean ecosystems

   

2. Spatial Segregation of Seabirds at South Georgia

   Tracking and monitoring of seabirds e.g. wandering albatrosses and white-chinned petrels at South Georgia to support conservation.

   Read more of: Spatial Segregation of Seabirds at South Georgia

   

3. Black-browed Albatross Juvenile Tracking

   The main aims of this study are to map the distribution of juvenile black-browed albatrosses and to assess the survival rate of juveniles in the critical months after they fledge.

   Read more of: Black-browed Albatross Juvenile Tracking

   

4. Bycatch risk of wandering albatrosses from radar detection

   The overall objective of this project is to link habitat preference, at-sea activity patterns and detections from novel bird-borne radars to quantify interactions of tracked wandering albatrosses with legal and IUU fishing vessels.

   Read more of: Bycatch risk of wandering albatrosses from radar detection

   

5. Grey-headed Albatross Juvenile Tracking

   This project maps the movements and foraging areas of juvenile albatross in order to determine the overlap with fisheries, and assesses the survival rate of juveniles in the initial weeks and months after they fledge.

   Read more of: Grey-headed Albatross Juvenile Tracking

   

6. Higher Predators – Long-Term Science

   Higher Predators carries out long-term science to measure changes in Antarctic ecosystems. The aim is to understand the processes that drive these changes.

   Read more of: Higher Predators – Long-Term Science

   

7. Biodiversity at BAS Cambridge

   The key objective is to identify and implement management techniques which will as far as possible be sympathetic to wildlife and encourage native species, in order to sustain and enhance biodiversity at BAS Cambridge.

   Read more of: Biodiversity at BAS Cambridge

   

8. White-chinned Petrel Tracking

   13 satellite tags were attached to white-chinned petrel chicks prior to their departure from Bird Island. The birds were tracked in near real-time using the Argos system.

   Read more of: White-chinned Petrel Tracking

   

10. Long term monitoring of plastics

    This project monitors plastics and debris in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic ecosystems, tracking impacts on seabirds, marine mammals, and coastal environments.

    Read more of: Long term monitoring of plastics

    

1. Bird Island Diary — October 2010

   This month the diary is mainly penned by the “new arrival”. I arrived in late September heralding the start of spring (but somebody forgot to tell the weather man). A […]

   Read more of: Bird Island Diary — October 2010

   

1. Drones ‘effective method’ for counting seabirds

   Drones, or un-crewed aerial vehicles, are helping scientists to survey remote colonies of seabirds more rapidly and efficiently than ever before. The results, which show population change in three seabird […]

   Read more of: Drones ‘effective method’ for counting seabirds

   

2. Penguins benefit from extended maritime zone

   Gentoo penguins are benefiting from a newly enlarged no-fishing zone (known as a No-Take Zone NTZ) around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia following British Antarctic Survey (BAS) tracking research […]

   Read more of: Penguins benefit from extended maritime zone

   

3. Fishing hotspots show where sub-Antarctic seabirds at risk

   A new study highlights that sub-Antarctic seabirds are most at risk from unsustainable fishing during the southern hemisphere winter and in the south Atlantic and Southwest Indian Oceans. The link […]

   Read more of: Fishing hotspots show where sub-Antarctic seabirds at risk

   

4. Bird Island Penguin weighbridge

   The weighbridge collects demographic, body mass and foraging frequency/duration data for Macaroni penguins on a daily basis throughout the breeding season.

   Read more of: Bird Island Penguin weighbridge

   

5. Signy Southern giant petrel time lapse camera (x1)

   The camera records daily images, providing annual data on southern giant petrel population size, phenology and breeding success.

   Read more of: Signy Southern giant petrel time lapse camera (x1)

   

6. Signy penguin time lapse camera (x1)

   The camera records daily images, providing annual data on gentoo penguin population size, phenology and breeding success.

   Read more of: Signy penguin time lapse camera (x1)

   

7. Signy penguin time lapse cameras (x3)

   The cameras records daily images, providing annual data on Adelie and chinstrap penguin population size, phenology and breeding success.

   Read more of: Signy penguin time lapse cameras (x3)

   

8. Warming oceans could put seabirds out of sync with prey

   Seabirds may struggle to find food for their chicks as they are unable to shift their breeding seasons as the climate warms, a new study suggests. Rising sea temperatures in […]

   Read more of: Warming oceans could put seabirds out of sync with prey

   

9. Albatrosses in decline from fishing and environmental change

   The populations of wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses have halved over the last 35 years on sub-antarctic Bird Island according to a new study published today (20 November) in the […]

   Read more of: Albatrosses in decline from fishing and environmental change

   

10. Bird Island Research Station

    The Bird Island Research Station focuses on the long-term study of seabirds and seals in one of the world’s richest wildlife sites.

    Read more of: Bird Island Research Station