I’m a marine ecologist investigating the impact of climate change on crabeater seal populations on the Western Antarctic Peninsula using Very-High-Resolution satellite imagery and AI approaches to analyse these data. This project is jointly funded by NERC (UK) and the NSF (USA), with collaborators in both countries.  I am based within the Ecosystems Team at the British Antarctic Survey, where I use both predictive modelling and Very-High-Resolution satellite imagery as tools with the long-term goal of informing conservation science and marine management in this region.

I completed my PhD at BAS with the University of Southampton, where my project focussed on habitat modelling of marine mammal species around South Georgia and the application of satellite imagery to survey whales in remote regions.

Prior to this PhD, I competed my MPhil in Polar Studies at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge in 2015, where my dissertation research investigated the spatial distribution of baleen whales in Eastern Antarctica. Preceding my MPhil, I graduated from the University of Southampton with a BSc (Hons.) degree in Environmental Sciences in 2014.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2026

McGinnity, Claire. Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Fenney, Nathan ORCID record for Fenney, Nathan. Fleming, Andrew ORCID record for Fleming, Andrew. Forcada, Jaume ORCID record for Forcada, Jaume. Tift, Michael S. Hückstädt, Luis A. Costa, Daniel P. Fretwell, Peter T. ORCID record for Fretwell, Peter T.. (2026) Semi‐automated seal detection on the Western Antarctic Peninsula: an unsupervised machine learning approach for detecting ice seals in aerial survey data.

Bamford, C.C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, C.C.G.. Cubaynes, H. ORCID record for Cubaynes, H.. Kelly, N. Clarke, P. J. ORCID record for Clarke, P. J.. Longden, E. Weyn, M. Perry, G. Snead, H. Fouda, L. Macfarlane, G. Jackson, J.A. ORCID record for Jackson, J.A.. (2026) Features of interest from a multi-season satellite survey of baleen whales on the West Antarctic Peninsula.

2025

Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Fenney, Nathan ORCID record for Fenney, Nathan. Coleman, Jamie ORCID record for Coleman, Jamie. Fox-Clarke, Cameron. Dickens, John. Fedak, Mike ORCID record for Fedak, Mike. Fretwell, Peter ORCID record for Fretwell, Peter. Hückstädt, Luis ORCID record for Hückstädt, Luis. Hollyman, Phil ORCID record for Hollyman, Phil. (2025) Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses (HPAIV) Associated with Major Southern Elephant Seal Decline at South Georgia.

Fretwell, P.T. ORCID record for Fretwell, P.T.. Bamford, C. ORCID record for Bamford, C.. Skachkova, A. Trathan, P.N. ORCID record for Trathan, P.N.. Forcada, J. ORCID record for Forcada, J.. (2025) Regional emperor penguin population declines exceed modelled projections.

2024

Abreu, José ORCID record for Abreu, José. Hollyman, Philip R. ORCID record for Hollyman, Philip R.. Xavier, José C. ORCID record for Xavier, José C.. Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Phillips, Richard A. ORCID record for Phillips, Richard A.. Collins, Martin A. ORCID record for Collins, Martin A.. (2024) Trends in population structure of Patagonian toothfish over 25 years of fishery exploitation at South Georgia.

2023

Bamford, C.C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, C.C.G.. Hollyman, P.R. ORCID record for Hollyman, P.R.. Abreu, J. ORCID record for Abreu, J.. Darby, C. Collins, M.A. ORCID record for Collins, M.A.. (2023) Spatial, temporal, and demographic variability in patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) spawning from twenty-five years of fishery data at South Georgia.

Bamford, Connor ORCID record for Bamford, Connor. Kelly, Nat. Herr, Helena. Seyboth, Elisa. Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer A.. (2023) The recovery of Antarctica’s giants – baleen whales.

Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer A.. Kennedy, Amy S. Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Hart, Ian. Martin, Stephanie. MacDonald, Darryl. Moore, Michael M. Carroll, Emma L. (2023) Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) return to Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, one century after the peak of whaling.

Robinson, Kevin P. MacDougall, Duncan A. I. Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Brown, William J. Dolan, Ciaran J. Hall, Rebecca. Haskins, Gary N. Russell, Grace. Sidiropoulos, Theofilos. Sim, Texa M.C. Spinou, Evgenia. Stroud, Elice. Williams, Genevieve. Culloch, Ross M. (2023) Ecological habitat partitioning and feeding specialisations of coastal minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) using a recently designated MPA in northeast Scotland.

2022

Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Jackson, J.A. ORCID record for Jackson, J.A.. Kennedy, A.K. Trathan, P.N. ORCID record for Trathan, P.N.. Staniland, I.J. Androlio, A. Bedriñana-Romano, L. Carroll, E.C. Martin, S. Zerbini, A.N. (2022) Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) distribution and movements in the vicinity of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area.

2021

Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. Warwick-Evans, Victoria ORCID record for Warwick-Evans, Victoria. Staniland, Iain J. ORCID record for Staniland, Iain J.. Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer A.. Trathan, Philip N. ORCID record for Trathan, Philip N.. (2021) Wintertime overlaps between female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) and the krill fishery at South Georgia, South Atlantic.

2020

Robinson, Kevin P. Haskins, Gary N. Eisfeld-Pierantonio, Sonja M. Sidiropoulos, Theofilos. Bamford, Connor C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, Connor C.G.. (2020) Note: Presenting vertebral deformities in bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus calves from a protected population in northeast Scotland.

Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer A.. Kennedy, Amy. Moore, Michael. Andriolo, Artur. Bamford, Connor ORCID record for Bamford, Connor. Calderan, Susannah. Cheeseman, Ted. Gittins, George. Groch, Karina. Kelly, Natalie. Leaper, Russell. Leslie, Matthew S. Lurcock, Sarah. Millar, Brian S. Richardson, Jessica. Rowntree, Vicky. Smith, Patrick. Stepien, Emillie. Stowasser, Gabriele ORCID record for Stowasser, Gabriele. Trathan, Phil ORCID record for Trathan, Phil. Vermeulen, Els. Zerbini, Alexandre N. Carroll, Emma L. (2020) Have whales returned to a historical hotspot of industrial whaling? The pattern of southern right whale Eubalaena australis recovery at South Georgia.

Bamford, C.C.G. ORCID record for Bamford, C.C.G.. Kelly, N. Dalla Rosa, L. Cade, D.E. Fretwell, P.T. ORCID record for Fretwell, P.T.. Trathan, P.N. ORCID record for Trathan, P.N.. Cubaynes, H.C. ORCID record for Cubaynes, H.C.. Mesquita, A.F.C. Gerrish, L. ORCID record for Gerrish, L.. Friedlaender, A.S. Jackson, J.A. ORCID record for Jackson, J.A.. (2020) A comparison of baleen whale density estimates derived from overlapping satellite imagery and a shipborne survey.

Carroll, Emma L. Ott, Paulo H. McMillan, Louise F. Galletti Vernazzani, Bárbara. Neveceralova, Petra. Vermeulen, Els. Gaggiotti, Oscar E. Andriolo, Artur. Baker, C. Scott. Bamford, Connor ORCID record for Bamford, Connor. Best, Peter. Cabrera, Elsa. Calderan, Susannah. Chirife, Andrea. Fewster, Rachel M. Flores, Paulo A.C. Frasier, Timothy. Freitas, Thales R.O. Groch, Karina. Hulva, Pavel. Kennedy, Amy. Leaper, Russell. Leslie, Matthew S. Moore, Michael. Oliveira, Larissa. Seger, Jon. Valenzuela, Luciano O. Stepien, Emilie N. Zerbini, Alexandre. Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer A.. (2020) Genetic diversity and connectivity of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) found in the Brazil and Chile-Peru wintering grounds and the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) feeding ground.

2018

Cubaynes, Hannah ORCID record for Cubaynes, Hannah. Fretwell, Peter ORCID record for Fretwell, Peter. Bamford, Connor ORCID record for Bamford, Connor. Gerrish, Laura ORCID record for Gerrish, Laura. Jackson, Jennifer ORCID record for Jackson, Jennifer. (2018) Whales from space: Four mysticete species described using new VHR satellite imagery.

• Fretwell, P., Bamford, C., Skachkova, A., Trathan, P., & Forcada, J. (2025). Model input and output statistics on fifteen-year assessment of emperor penguin breeding populations from the Bellingshausen sea to the Weddell sea from VHR satellite imagery, 2009-2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/c8d8ffe6-0aff-493c-b40f-e63f0c35f081

• Bamford, C., Cubaynes, H., Kelly, N., Clarke, P., Longden, E., Weyn, M., Perry, G., Snead, H., Fouda, L., Macfarlane, G., & Jackson, J. (2025). Locations of features of interest from a multi-season (2018-2022) baleen whale-focused survey of Wilhelmina Bay, Western Antarctic Peninsula, using WorldView-03 satellite imagery (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/ab19aaba-12d6-44a7-89a3-7b45af0343ed

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_30 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/236cbe3a-5f05-4cef-8e92-7145b0190f0b

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_29 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2e870dac-9eb1-4f1d-a5ff-fe18090afd79

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_26 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/a6446ddc-d6bf-4267-9af6-599d2fcc2efa

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_25 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/5224ff55-e347-4d26-9cd5-28c9bb52a805

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_24 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/c8ddb9ad-a710-4cf3-b068-cf1c57ff31ae

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_22 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/e238f84e-63b2-4019-8308-7398a8ea204f

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_21 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/a0eac296-ccc6-4d25-b749-a96fec66d233

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_19 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/6e4a0ad0-8f43-4b8b-bca5-983db79d2627

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_17 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/fb560068-04ae-4afb-bbd1-86a1e0003474

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_16 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/865373e6-0b33-418e-9b80-9442dccbcd3e

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_12 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/c2346fb2-7ef0-421c-9511-6ba7701f0f0a

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_11 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/14b142da-9341-471b-af7a-8613f0fbbb25

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_10 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9c4cb255-a754-4b6b-9748-d8b355e029de

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Hound Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_31 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/6ecb7be8-6b68-44a7-8aac-abbbb591b4e5

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Hound Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_23 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/85de16ff-a3b2-42b4-a898-aea94ee47b83

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Hound Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_20 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/463ea06f-6c49-4d6e-a80b-21c88a71c3da

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Hound Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_15 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/a0c38c31-694c-4f07-a178-66f219fca5d9

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Hound Bay, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_08 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/f5139bb9-79b2-44e1-963e-c2755ffd1d01

• Fenney, N., Coleman, J., & Bamford, C. (2025). Aerial survey of Gold Harbour, South Georgia, elephant seal colony during the 2023/24 season, flight DLPUS_214_32 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/47d0718d-7146-44d3-965c-60e62a48b8cc

• Jackson, J., Kennedy, A., Bamford, C., Martin, S., MacDonald, D., & Carroll, E. (2023). Cetacean sightings in January and February 2019 near to Cumberland Bay, South Georgia (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/33204189-2ecb-4f6b-b3e2-e1b7bc4339db

17. Wildlife from Space

    Many populations of wildlife are remote, inaccessible or difficult to monitor. The advent of sub-metre, Very-High-Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery has enabled us study these animals in a much more efficient way.

    Read more of: Wildlife from Space

    

• South Atlantic Elephant Seal Population Assessment (SAESPA) – DPLUS214 
• South Georgia Right Whale Project
  • EU-Best project site

• Wildlife from Space
  • Western Antarctic Peninsula WWF whale imagery project

1. Monitoring whales from space

   Scientists have found that studying high-resolution images of whales from space is a feasible way to estimate their populations. A team, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), compared satellite images […]

   Read more of: Monitoring whales from space

   

2. Watching whales from space

   Scientists have used detailed high-resolution satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies’ DigitalGlobe, to detect, count and describe four different species of whales. Reported this week in the journal Marine Mammal […]

   Read more of: Watching whales from space