I am interested in the recovery of whale populations from whaling, how connected whale populations are across the oceans (i.e. what are the barriers to movement for such a long-ranging animal), and how the populations and their habitats have changed over the past century. I’m also interested in new methods of monitoring whale populations using very high resolution satellites, as populations recover in remote and difficult-to-survey regions such as the Southern Ocean. At BAS I am part of the Ecosystems program and also work closely with the Wildlife from Space group.

Background

I studied biochemistry and genetics at the University of Nottingham, followed by a PhD in evolutionary phylogenetics at the University of Oxford. I then did post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Auckland and at Oregon State University with Professor Scott Baker on evolutionary history and population genetics of cetaceans, and population dynamic modelling of the exploitation history of Southern Hemisphere baleen whales. I joined the British Antarctic Survey in 2010, studying the evolutionary genetics of polar invertebrates, also continuing work on the population genetics, evolutionary history and population dynamics of Southern Hemisphere whale species. In 2016, I moved into the BAS Ecosystems team, and whale research became the main theme of my job. Since 2017 I have led multiple seasons of research into the recovery of whales in the sub-Antarctic South Georgia marine ecosystem, with funding from EU BEST, DARWIN PLUS, South Georgia Heritage Trust, Friends of South Georgia Island and WWF UK (see Project page for more detail).

I have been a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee since 2006. I began chairing the ‘Stock Definition’ working group in 2012, and chaired the ‘Southern Hemisphere’ sub-committee between 2015 and 2022, overseeing population assessments of Southern Hemisphere baleen whale recovery from exploitation.

Research interests

Population genetics, the use of rapidly evolving DNA markers to measure population sizes, migration rates and past demography and dynamics.

Population dynamic modelling to understand the population history of exploited whales- an integration of data on population trend, abundance, exploitation history with logistic models to look at past bottlenecks, pre-exploitation abundance and current recovery levels.

Evolutionary genetics, evolutionary rates and the use of fossils to calibrate evolutionary trees and describe the tempo and pattern of the evolutionary history of species.

Mark recapture models to estimate animal abundance and trend.

Use of remote sensing tools to study whale population biology.

Collaborations

Professor Scott Baker, Oregon State University, Oregon USA: population genetics of exploited whale populations.

Dr Emma Carroll, Auckland University: right whale exploitation and population recovery

Dr Tamsin O’Connell, University of Cambridge: whale feeding ecology

Dr Alexandre Zerbini, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle USA: population modelling of humpback whales, tracking of whale movements

Dr Caroline Weir, Falklands Conservation: population identity and foraging ecology of sei and southern right whales

Dr Amy Kennedy, Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Occeans, USA: tracking of whale movements and whale photo-ID.

Dr Will Goodall-Copestake, Scottish Association for Marine Sciences: DNA analysis of whale diet

Dr Angie Sremba, Oregon State University: population structuring and foraging ecology of blue whales

Dr Natalie Kelly, Australian Antarctic Division: Southern Ocean whale abundance analysis

Susannah Calderan, Scottish Association for Marine Science: Southern Ocean whale acoustic analysis

Russell Leaper, International Fund for Animal Welfare: Southern Ocean whale abundance

Dr Denise Risch, Scottish Association for Marine Science: Southern Ocean whale acoustic analysis

Dr Sarah Marley, Scotland’s Rural College: Southern Ocean whale acoustic analysis

Dr Joanna Kershaw, University of Aberdeen: hormone profiles of baleen whales

Weir, C. R., S. J. Fernández, J. A. Jackson, A. Miller, F. Sucunza, H. W. Slesser, A. N. Zerbini (2024) Movements and behaviour of southern right whales satellite-tracked in and beyond a subantarctic archipelago wintering ground Endangered Species Research 55: 229-245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01371

Nisi, A. C., H. Welch, S. Brodie, C. Leiphardt, R. Rhodes, E. L. Hazen, J. V. Redfern, T. A. Branch, A. S. Barreto, J. Calambokidis, T. Clavelle, L. Dares, A. de Vos, S. Gero, J. A. Jackson, R. D. Kenney, D. Kroodsma, R. Leaper, D. J. McCauley, S. E. Moore, E. Ovsyanikova, S. Panigada, C. V. Robinson, T. White, J. Wilson and B. Abrahms (2024) Ship collision risk threatens whales across the world’s oceans. Science 386 (6724): 870-875 DOI: 10.1126/science.adp1950

Rand, Z. R., Branch, T. A., Jackson, J. A., (2024) High historical movement rates of Antarctic blue whales on Southern Ocean feeding grounds estimated from Discovery mark data Endangered Species Research 55: 109-128. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01361

Biuw, M., Lindstrøm, U., Jackson, J.A., Baines, M., Kelly, N., McCallum, G., Skaret, G., Krafft, B. A. (2024) Estimated summer abundance and krill consumption of fin whales throughout the Scotia Sea during the 2018/2019 summer season. Scientific Reports 14, 7493. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57378-3

Kennedy, A. S., E. L. Carroll,  A. N. Zerbini,  C. S. Baker,  M. Bassoi,  N. A. Beretta,  D. L. Buss,  S. Calderan,  T. Cheeseman,  M. A. Collins,  P. Costa-Urrutia,  P. Ensor,  K. Groch,  R. Leaper,  P. Olson,  C. Passadore,  F. G. Riet-Sapriza,  E. Vermeulen,  F. Vilches,  A. G. Wood,  J. A. Jackson (2023) Photo-identification and satellite telemetry connect southern right whales from South Georgia Island (Islas Georgias del Sur) with multiple feeding and calving grounds in the southwest Atlantic. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13089. Dataset associated with this publication: https://doi.org/10.5285/880e8ca1-874b-42be-8768-af128627d789

Sremba A. L., Martin A. R., Wilson P., Cypriano-Souza A. L., Buss D. L., Hart T., Engel M. H., Bonatto S. L., Rosenbaum H., Collins T., Olavarría, C. Archer, F. I. Steel, D. Jackson, J.A., Baker, C. S. (2023). Diversity of mitochondrial DNA in 3 species of great whales before and after modern whaling. Journal of Heredity 114(6): 587-597. doi: https://10.1093/jhered/esad048

Jackson, J. A., A. S. Kennedy, C. C. G. Bamford, I. Hart, S. Martin, D. MacDonald, M. M. Moore and E. L. Carroll (2023). Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) return to Cumberland Bay, South Georgia one century after the peak of whaling. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13050. Dataset associated with this publication: https://doi.org/10.5285/33204189-2ecb-4f6b-b3e2-e1b7bc4339db

Bamford, C. C. G., Kelly, N., Herr, H., Seyboth, E., Jackson, J. A. (2023). The recovery of Antarctica’s giants – baleen whales. Antarctic Environments Portal. Published 2nd Feb 2023. https://doi.org/10.48361/edgj-pp83

Calderan, S. V., T. Dornan, S. Fielding, R. Irvine,  J. A. Jackson,  R. Leaper,  C. M. Liszka,  P. A. Olson,  M. A. Collins (2023). Observations of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) surface feeding on krill in austral winter at South Georgia. Marine Mammal Science 39(4), 1306–1312. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13025.

Green, K., M. Virdee, H. C. Cubaynes, A. I. Aviles-Rivero, P. T. Fretwell, P. C. Gray, D. W. Johnston, C. B. Schönlieb, L. G. Torres and J. A. Jackson (2023). Gray whale detection in satellite imagery using deep learning. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.352

Buss, D. L., L. M. Atmore, M. H. Zicos, W. P. Goodall-Copestake, S. Brace, F. I. Archer, C. S. Baker, I. Barnes, E. L. Carroll, T. Hart, A. Kitchener, R. Sabin, A. L. Sremba, C. R. Weir and J. A. Jackson (2023). Historical Mitogenomic Diversity and Population Structuring of Southern Hemisphere Fin Whales. Genes 14(5): 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14051038

Calderan, S. V., T. Dornan, S. Fielding, R. Irvine, J. A. Jackson, R. Leaper, C. M. Liszka, P. A. Olson, M. A. Collins (2023). Observations of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) surface feeding on krill in austral winter at South Georgia. Marine Mammal Science https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13025

Derville, S., et al. (2023) Long-term stability in the circumpolar foraging range of a Southern Ocean predator between the eras of whaling and rapid climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of the USA. 120 (10) e2214035120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2214035120

Maturana, C. S., Biersma, E. M., Díaz, A., González-Wevar, C., Contador, T., Convey, P., Jackson, J. A., Poulin, E. (2022) Survivors and colonizers: Contrasting biogeographic histories reconciled in the Antarctic freshwater copepod Boeckella poppei. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 10. doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.1012852

Viquerat S., Waluda C. M., Kennedy A. S., Jackson J. A., Hevia M., Carroll E. L., Buss D. L., Burkhardt E., Thain S., Smith P., Secchi, E., Santora, J. A., Reiss, C., Lindstrøm, U., Krafft, B. A., Gittins, G., Dalla Rosa, L., Biuw, M., Herr, H. (2022). Identifying seasonal distribution patterns of fin whales across the Scotia Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula region using a novel approach combining habitat suitability models and ensemble learning methods. Frontiers in Marine Sciences. 9. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.1040512

Buss, D. L., Hearne, E., Loy, R. H. Y., Manica, A., O’Connell, T. C., Jackson, J. A. (2022) Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period. Marine Biology. 169:150. doi:10.1007/s00227-022-04131-x

Baines, M., Jackson, J. A., Fielding, S., Warwick-Evans, V., Reichelt, M., Lacey, C., Pinder, S., Trathan, P. N. (2022) Ecological interactions between Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whales in the South Sandwich Islands region – Exploring predator-prey biomass ratios. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 189:103867. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103867

Bamford, C. C. G., Jackson, J. A., Kennedy, A. K., Trathan, P. N., Staniland, I. J., Andriolo, A., Bedrinana-Romano, L., Carroll, E. L., Martin, S., Zerbini, A. N., Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) distribution and movements in the vicinity of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area (2022). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. 198:105074. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105074

Marcondes, M. C. C., T. Cheeseman, J. A. Jackson, A. S. Friedlaender, L. Pallin, M. Olio, L. L. Wedekin, F. G. Daura-Jorge, J. Cardoso, J. D. F. Santos, R. C. Fortes, M. F. Araújo, M. Bassoi, V. Beaver, A. Bombosch, C. W. Clark, J. Denkinger, A. Boyle, K. Rasmussen, O. Savenko, I. C. Avila, D. M. Palacios, A. S. Kennedy and R. S. Sousa-Lima (2021). The Southern Ocean Exchange: porous boundaries between humpback whale breeding populations in southern polar waters. Scientific Reports 11(1): 23618. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-02612-5

Dunn, M. J., S. Adlard, A. S. Lynnes, D. Fox, T. I. Morley, J. A. Jackson (2021). Long‑term population size and trends of South Georgia Shags (Leucocarbo [atriceps] georgianus) at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands and Bird Island, South Georgia. Polar Biology. doi: 10.1007/s00300-021-02978-2

Clarke, P. J., H. C. Cubaynes, K. A. Stockin, C. Olavarría, A. de Vos, P. T. Fretwell, J. A. Jackson (2021). Cetacean strandings from space: Challenges and opportunities of very high resolution satellites for the remote monitoring of cetacean mass strandings. Frontiers in Marine Science. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.650735

Baines, M. E., N. Kelly, M. Reichelt, C. Lacey, S. Pinder, S. Fielding, E. Murphy, P. N. Trathan, M. Biuw, U. Lindstrøm, B. A. Krafft, J. A. Jackson (2021). Population abundance of recovering humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and other baleen whales in the Scotia Arc, South Atlantic. Marine Ecology Progress Series doi: 10.3354/meps13849. Dataset associated with this publication: https://doi.org/10.5285/5F1E349B-6665-4617-9BF7-EE5C8CBCDD54

Murphy, E. J., et al. (2021). Global Connectivity of Southern Ocean Ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9(454). doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.624451

Lampert,  S. A., R. A. Ingle, J. A. Jackson, K. Gopal, S. Plön (2021) Analysis of mitochondrial control region reveals low genetic diversity of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin Sousa plumbea in South African waters. Endangered Species Research 46:91-103. doi:10.3354/esr01147

Maturana, C. S., S. Rosenfeld, E. M. Biersma, N. I. Segovia, C. A. González-Wevar, A. Díaz, J. Naretto, I. C. Duggan, I. D. Hogg, E. Poulin, P. Convey, J. A. Jackson (2021) Historical biogeography of the Gondwanan freshwater genus Boeckella (Crustacea): Timing and modes of speciation in the Southern Hemisphere. Diversity and Distributions. doi:10.1111/ddi.13405

Calderan, S. V., R. C. Leaper, B. S. Miller, A. Andriolo, D. L. Buss, E. L. Carroll, A. S. Kennedy, E. N. Stepien, J. A. Jackson (2021) Southern right whale vocalizations on foraging grounds at South Georgia. JASA Express Letters 1 (061202)

Grant, S. M., Waller, C. L., Morley, S. A., Barnes, D. K. A., Brasier, M. J., Double, M. C., Griffiths, H. J., Hughes, K. A., Jackson, J. A., Waluda, C. M., & Constable, A. J. (2021). Local Drivers of Change in Southern Ocean Ecosystems: Human Activities and Policy Implications. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9 (365). https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.624518

Bamford, C. C. G., V. Warwick-Evans, I. J. Staniland, J. A. Jackson and P. N. Trathan (2021). Wintertime overlaps between female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) and the krill fishery at South Georgia, South Atlantic. PLoS One 16(3): e0248071.

Vighi, M., A. Borrell, J. A. Jackson, E. L. Carroll, M. G. Pennino and A. Aguilar (2020). The missing whales: relevance of “struck and lost” rates for the impact assessment of historical whaling in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. ICES Journal of Marine Science fsaa205. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa205

Bestley, S., Y. Ropert-Coudert, S. Bengtson Nash, C. M. Brooks, C. Cotté, M. Dewar, A. S. Friedlaender, J. A. Jackson, S. Labrousse, A. D. Lowther, C. R. McMahon, R. A. Phillips, P. Pistorius, P. S. Puskic, A. O. d. A. Reis, R. R. Reisinger, M. Santos, E. Tarszisz, P. Tixier, P. N. Trathan, M. Wege and B. Wienecke (2020). Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean: Birds and Marine Mammals in a Changing Climate. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8 (338).

Calderan, S. V., A. D. Black, T. A. Branch, M. A. Collins, N. Kelly, R. Leaper, S. Lurcock, B. S. Miller, M. Moore, P. A. Olson, A. Širović, A. G. Wood and J. A. Jackson (2020). South Georgia blue whales five decades after the end of whaling. Endangered Species Research 43: 359-373.

Jackson, J. A., A. S. Kennedy, M. Moore, A. Andriolo, C. Bamford, S. Calderan, T. Cheeseman, G. Gittins, K. R. Groch, N. Kelly, R. Leaper, M. S. Leslie, S. Lurcock, B. S. Miller, J. Richardson, V. Rowntree, P. Smith, E. Stepien, G. Stowasser, P. Trathan, E. Vermeulen, A. N. Zerbini and E. L. Carroll (2020). Have whales returned to a historical hotspot of industrial whaling? The pattern of southern right whale Eubalaena australis recovery at South Georgia. Endangered Species Research 43: 323-339.

Biersma, E. M., Convey, P., Weber, R., Robinson, S. A., Dowton, M., van de Vijver, B., Linse, K., Griffiths, H., Jackson, J. A. (2020) Latitudinal biogeographic structuring in the globally distributed moss Ceratodon purpureus. Frontiers in Plant Sciences 11(1332).

Bamford, C. C. G., Kelly, N., Dalla Rosa, L., Cade, D., Fretwell, P. T., Trathan, P. N., Cubaynes, H. C., Mesquita, A. F. C., Gerrish, L., Friedlaender, A. S., Jackson, J. A. (2020) A comparison of baleen whale density estimates derived from overlapping satellite imagery and a shipborne survey. Scientific Reports 10: 12985

Carroll, E.L., Ott, P.H., Mcmillan, L.F., Galletti Vernazzani, B., Neveceralova, P., Vermeulen, E., Gaggiotti, O.E., Andriolo, A., Baker, C.S., Bamford, C., Best, P., Flores, P.a.C., Frasier, T.R., Freitas, T.R.O., Groch, K.R., Hulva, P., Kennedy, A.S., Leaper, R., Leslie, M.S., Moore, M., Oliveira, L., Seger, J., Stepien, E.N., Valenzuela, L.O., Zerbini, A.N., and Jackson, J.A. (2020). Genetic diversity and connectivity of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) found in the Chile-Peru wintering grounds and South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) feeding grounds. Journal of Heredity 111, 263-276.

Maturana, C. S., Segovia, N. I., González‐Wevar, C. A., Díaz, A., Rosenfeld, S., Poulin, E., Jackson, J. A., Convey, P. (2020) Evidence of strong small‐scale population structure in the Antarctic freshwater copepod Boeckella poppei in lakes on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Limnology and Oceanography 65 (9) 2024-2040

Cubaynes, H. C., Rees, W. G., Jackson, J. A., Moore, M., Sformo, T. L., McLellan, W. A., Niemeyer, M. E., George, J. C., van der Hoop, J., Forcada, J., Trathan, P., Fretwell, P. T. (2020) Spectral reflectance of whale skin above the sea surface: a proposed measurement protocol. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 6 (3) 411-423

Zerbini, A. N., Adams, G., Best, J., Clapham, P. J., Jackson, J. A., Punt, A. E. (2019) Assessing the recovery of an Antarctic predator from historical exploitation. Royal Society Open Science 6 (1), 190368

Fretwell, P. T., Jackson, J. A., Encina, M. J. U., Häussermann, V., Alvarez, M. J. P., Olavarría, C.,  Gutstein, C. S. (2019) Using remote sensing to detect whale strandings in remote areas: the case of sei whales mass mortality in Chilean Patagonia. PLoS One 14 (10)

Dunn, M. J., Forcada, J., Jackson, J. A., Waluda, C. M., Nichol, C., Trathan, P. N. (2018) A long-term study of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) population trends at a major Antarctic tourist site, Goudier Island, Port Lockroy. Biodiversity and Conservation 28 (1) 37-53.

Cubaynes, H. C., Fretwell, P. T., Bamford, C., Gerrish, L., Jackson, J. A. (2018) Whales from space: four mysticete species described using new VHR satellite imagery. Marine Mammal Science 35 (2) 466-491.

Horswill, C., Jackson, J. A., Medeiros, R., Nowell, R. W., Trathan, P. N., O’Connell, T. C. (2018) Minimising the limitations of using dietary analysis to assess foodweb changes by combining multiple techniques. Ecological Indicators 94 (1) 218-225.

Biersma, E. M., Jackson, J. A., Bracegirdle, T. J., Griffiths, H., Linse, K., Convey P. (2018) Low genetic variation between South American and Antarctic populations of the bank-forming moss Chorisodontium aciphyllum (Dicranaceae). Polar Biology 41 (4), 599-610

Biersma, E. M., Jackson, J. A., Stech, M., Griffiths, H., Linse, K., Convey, P. (2018) Molecular data suggest long-term in situ Antarctic persistence within Antarctica’s most speciose plant genus, Schistidium Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 6, 77.

Waples, R., Hoelzel, A. R., Gaggiotti, O., Tiedemann, R., Palsbøll, P. J., Cipriano, F., Jackson, J. A., Bickham, J. W., Lang, A. R. (2018) Guidelines for genetic data analysis Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 18: 33-80

Cavanagh, R., et al. (2017) A synergistic approach for evaluating climate model output for ecological applications Frontiers in Marine Science, 4, 308

E. Biersma, J. A. Jackson, J. Hyvonen, S. Koskinen, K. Linse, H. Griffiths, P. Convey (2017) Global biogeographic patterns in bipolar moss species. Royal Society Open Science DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170147

B. Galletti Vernazzani*, J. A. Jackson* E. Cabrera, C. Carlson, R. Brownell Jnr. (2017) Estimates of Abundance and Trend of Chilean blue whales off Isla de Chiloe, Chile. PLoS One 12(1): e0168646.

M. J. Dunn, J. A. Jackson, S. Adlard, A. S. Lynnes, D. R. Briggs, D. Fox, C. M. Waluda (2016) Population size and decadal trends of three penguin species nesting at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. PLoS One 11(10): e0164025

J. A. Jackson, E. L. Carroll, T. D. Smith, A. N. Zerbini, N. J. Patenaude, C. Scott Baker (2016) An integrated approach to historical population assessment of the great whales: case of the New Zealand southern right whale. Royal Society Open Science

M. J. Dunn, J. A. Jackson, S. Adlard, R. A. Phillips (2015) Population size and trends of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) nesting at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Polar Biology DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1855-0

E. Carroll, L. Brooks, C. S. Baker, D. Burns, C. Garrigue, N. Hauser, J. A. Jackson, M. M. Poole, R. M. Fewster (2015) Assessing the design and power of capture-recapture studies to estimate population growth rate and abundance of the endangered Oceania humpback whale population. Endangered Species Research 28: 147-162

T. Saucede, H. Griffiths, C. Moreau, J. A. Jackson, C. Sands, R. Downey, A. Reed, M. Mackenzie, P. Geissler, K. Linse (2015) East Weddell Sea echinoids from the JR275 expedition. Zookeys 504: 1-10

J. A. Jackson, K. Linse, R. Whittle, H. J. Griffiths (2015) The Evolutionary Origins of the Southern Ocean Philobryid Bivalves: Hidden Biodiversity, Ancient Persistence PLoS One 10 (4) e0121198

J. A. Jackson, D. Steel, P. Beerli, B. Congdon, C. Olavarria, M. Leslie, C. Pomilla, H. Rosenbaum, C. S. Baker (2014) Global diversity and oceanic divergence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Proceedings of the Royal Society B 281 (1786) pii 20133222. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3222.

E. L. Carroll, J. A. Jackson, D. Paton, T. Smith (2014) Two intense decades of 19th century whaling precipitated rapid declines of right whales around New Zealand and East Australia. PLoS One 9 (4) 93789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093789

K. Linse, J. A. Jackson, M. V. Malyutina, A. Brandt (2014) Shallow-water northern hemisphere Jaera (Crustacea, Isopoda, Janiridae) found on whale bones in the Southern Ocean deep sea: ecology and description of Jaera tyleri sp. nov.PLoS ONE, 9 (3), e93018. 20, pp. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093018

K. Linse, J. A. Jackson, E. Fitzcharles, C. J. Sands, J. Buckeridge (2013) Phylogenetic position of Antarctic Scalpelliformes (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Thoracica). Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 73, p99-116.

G. Tezanos-Pinto, R. Constantine, L. Brooks, J. A. Jackson, F. Mourao, S. Wells, C. S. Baker (2013) Decline in local abundance of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12008.

F. Leese, P. Brand, A. Rozenberg, C. Mayer, S. Agrawal, J. Dambach, L. Dietz, J. S. Doemel, W. P. Goodall-Copestake, C. Held, J. A. Jackson, K. P. Lampert, K. Linse, J. N. Macher, J. Nolzen, M. J. Raupach, N. T. Rivera, C. D. Schubart, S. Striewski, R. Tollrian, C. J. Sands (2012) Exploring Pandora’s Box: Potential and pitfalls of low coverage genome surveys for evolutionary biology. PLoS One 7(11) e49202

J. A. Jackson, M. Anderson, D. S. Steel, L. Brooks, P. Baverstock, D. Burns, P. Clapham, R. Constantine, W. Franklin, T. Franklin, C. Garrigue, N. Hauser, D. Paton, M. M. Poole, C. S. Baker (2012) Multistate measurements of interchange between East Australia and Oceania (IWC breeding sub-stocks E1, E2, E3 and F) between 1999 and 2004. 64th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Document SC/64/SH22 submitted to the IWC Scientific Committee.

C. Horswill, J. A. Jackson (2012) Humpback whales wintering at Pitcairn Island, South Pacific. Marine Biodiversity Records 5, e90

A. R. Amaral, J. A. Jackson, L. M. Moller, L. B. Beheregaray, M. M. Coelho (2012). Species tree of a recent radiation: the subfamily Delphininae (Cetacea, Mammalia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 64 (1) 243-253

R. Constantine, J .A. Jackson, D. Steel, C. S. Baker, L. Brooks, D. Burns, P. Clapham, N. Hauser, B. Madon, D. Mattila, M. Oremus, M. M. Poole, J. Robbins, K. Thompson & C. Garrigue (2012). Abundance of humpback whales in Oceania using photo-identification and microsatellite genotyping. Marine Ecology Progress Series 453: 249-261

J. A. Jackson, L. Laikre, C. S. Baker, K. C. Kendall, Genetic Monitoring Working Group (2012) Guidelines for Collecting and Maintaining Archives for Genetic Monitoring. Conservation Genetics Resources 4 (2) 527-536. DOI: 10.1007/s12686-011-9545-x

A. Fleming*, J. A. Jackson* (2011) Global review of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-474. 206 pp. http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-474.pdf

D. K. A. Barnes, P. Kuklinski, J. A. Jackson, G. W. Keel, S. A. Morley, J. E. Winston (2011) Scott’s collections help reveal accelerating marine life growth in Antarctica. Current Biology R147-148 (cover).

J. A. Jackson (2010) Phylogenetics of Baleen Whales. In: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE SCIENCES. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net/ DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0022870

K. C. Ruegg, E. C. Anderson, C. S. Baker, M. Vant, J. A. Jackson, S. R. Palumbi (2010) Are Antarctic Minke whales unusually abundant because of 20th century whaling? Molecular Ecology 19 (2) 281-291

L. Laikre, F. W. Allendorf, L. Aroner, C. S. Baker, D. Gregovich, M. M. Hansen, J. A. Jackson, K. Kendall, K. S. McKelvey, M. Neel, I. Olivieri, N. Ryman, M. K. Schwartz, R. Short Bull, J. Stetz, D. Tallmon, B. L. Taylor, C. Vojta, D. Waller and R. S. Waples (2010) Neglect of Genetic Diversity in implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conservation Biology 24, 86-88.

Dave Tallmon, Dave Gregovich, Robin S. Waples, C. Scott Baker, Jennifer A. Jackson, Barbara L. Taylor, Genetic Monitoring Working Group, Michael K. Schwartz (2010) When are genetic methods useful for estimating contemporary abundance and population growth? Molecular Ecology Resources. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2010.02831.x

Phillip A. Morin, Karen K. Martien, Frederick I. Archer, Frank Cipriano, Debbie Steel, Jennifer A. Jackson, Barbara L. Taylor. (2010). Applied conservation genetics and the need for quality control and reporting of genetic data used in wildlife management. Journal of Heredity, 101 (1): 1-10

Jennifer A. Jackson, C. Scott Baker, Murdoch Vant, Debbie S. Steel, Luis Medrano-Gonzalez, Steven R. Palumbi. 2009. Big and Slow: Phylogenetic estimates of molecular evolution in baleen whales (Suborder Mysticeti). Molecular Biology and Evolution, 26 (11) 2427-2440.

Jennifer A. Jackson, Emma Carroll, Tim Smith, Nathalie Patenaude, C. Scott Baker. 2009. Taking Stock: the historical demography of the New Zealand right whale (the Tohora). Progress Report #5 to the New Zealand National Institute of Water and the Atmosphere.

Jennifer A. Jackson, Nathalie Patenaude, Emma Carroll, C. Scott Baker. 2008. How few whales were there after whaling? Inference from contemporary mtDNA diversity. Molecular Ecology 17, 236-251.

Jennifer A. Jackson, Alex Zerbini, Phil Clapham, Rochelle Constantine, Claire Garrigue, Nan Hauser, Michael M. Poole, C. Scott Baker. 2008. Progress on a two-stock catch allocation model for reconstructing population histories of east Australia and Oceania humpback whales 60th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Document SC/60/SH14 submitted to the IWC Scientific Committee.

Trevor Branch, Jennifer A. Jackson. 2008. Minimum bottleneck abundance of Antarctic blue whales based on current mtDNA diversity. 60th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Document SC/60/SH10 submitted to the IWC Scientific Committee.

Susana Caballero, Jennifer A. Jackson, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Héctor Barrios-Garrido, Sandra Beltrán-Pedreros, Marı A. G. Montiel-Villalobos, Kelly M. Robertson, C. Scott Baker. 2007. Molecular systematics of South American dolphins Sotalia: Sister taxa determination and phylogenetic relationships, with insights into a multi-locus phylogeny of the Delphinidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46 (1) 252-268

Jan Strugnell, Jennifer A. Jackson, Alexei J. Drummond, Alan Cooper. 2006. Divergence time estimates for major cephalopod groups: evidence from multiple genes. Cladistics 22 (1) 89-96.

Jan Strugnell, Mark Norman, Jennifer A. Jackson, Alexei J. Drummond, Alan Cooper. 2006. Molecular phylogeny of coleoid cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) using a multigene approach; the effect of data partitioning on resolving phylogenies in a Bayesian framework. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 37 (2) 426-441

Richard Fortey, Jennifer A. Jackson, Jan Strugnell. 2003. Phylogenetic fuses and evolutionary ‘explosions’: conflicting evidence and critical tests. In. Telling the Evolutionary Time: Molecular clocks and the fossil record, eds. P. Donoghue and P. Smith, Taylor and Francis. p.41-65

Ellen E. Paxinos, Helen F. James, Storrs L. Olson, Michael D. Sorenson, Jennifer A. Jackson and Robert C. Fleischer. 2002. mtDNA from fossils reveals a radiation of Hawaiian Geese recently derived from the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 99 (3) 1399-1404

Per G.P. Ericson, Les Christidis, Alan Cooper, Martin Irestedt, Jennifer A. Jackson, Ulf S. Johansson and Janette Norman. 2002. A Gondwanan origin of passerine birds supported by DNA sequences of the endemic New Zealand wrens Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences 269 (1488) 235-241

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• Clarke, P., Skachkova, A., Jackson, J., Cubaynes, H., & Jones, G. (2025). Suitable areas for very high-resolution optical satellite imagery to monitor live and stranded cetaceans around the UK and UK Overseas Territories, based on ERA5 reanalysis data (2018-2022) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/451a6a5d-a17b-4d71-aad0-188739403d8c

• Buss, D., O’Connell, T., Evans, S., Kneale, C., Osborn, J., Atmore, L., Sremba, A., Baker, C., Dunn, M., Goodall-Copestake, W., Martin, A., Kitchener, A., Stowasser, G., Weir, C., & Jackson, J. (2025). Stable Isotope Analysis of Historical Whale Bone Collagen from the South Atlantic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b0830de0-46e9-49c7-aa73-68c8f662d659

• Clarke, P., Cubaynes, H., Bowler, E., Jackson, J., Attard, M., Stockin, K., & Carlyon, K. (2025). Point annotation dataset of stranded whale and dolphin species identified in very high-resolution optical and SAR satellite imagery along offshore islands of New Zealand and Tasmania between 2018-2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b26c3a3d-73c8-4500-9a23-696011c20a45

• 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

• Panigada, V., Cubaynes, H., Fretwell, P., & Jackson, J. (2024). Annotated dataset of grey whales detected in Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery of Baja California Sur lagoons in 2009, 2013 and 2015. (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2d8a4b45-e21f-47d4-8279-b4362489301e

• Jackson, J., Kennedy, A., Zerbini, A., Collins, M., Baker, S., Bassoi, M., Buss, D., Calderan, S., Ensor, P., Leaper, R., Olson, P., & Carroll, E. (2023). Satellite tracked GPS locations of two southern right whales tagged in South Georgia waters from January to September 2020 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/880e8ca1-874b-42be-8768-af128627d789

• 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

• Baines, M., Reichelt, M., Lacey, C., Pinder, S., Fielding, S., & Jackson, J. (2021). Cetacean sightings from the British Antarctic Survey CCAMLR synoptic krill survey of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, January to February 2019 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/5f1e349b-6665-4617-9bf7-ee5c8cbcdd54

1. Sustained Monitoring of Whales at South Georgia

   This project is creating a long-term framework for monitoring whale numbers and behaviour.

   Read more of: Sustained Monitoring of Whales at South Georgia

   

2. South Georgia’s Lost Giants

   South Georgia’s Lost Giants is part of the British Antarctic Survey’s “Wild Water Whales” project studying the recovery of whales from historical exploitation in South Georgia.

   Read more of: South Georgia’s Lost Giants

   

3. Hungry Humpbacks

   Hungry Humpbacks studied how humpback whales, the largest predators of krill in the region, fed at South Georgia.

   Read more of: Hungry Humpbacks

   

4. 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

   

5. Wild Water Whales Acoustic Recovery Project (WWWARP)

   WWWARP used underwater acoustic recorders at South Georgia to monitor whale recovery.

   Read more of: Wild Water Whales Acoustic Recovery Project (WWWARP)

   

6. Winter Krill at South Georgia

   The winter krill project monitors Antarctic krill and predator overlap around South Georgia. Research informs conservation and ecosystem management.

   Read more of: Winter Krill at South Georgia

   

7. South Georgia Right Whale project – Whale Tracking

   The British Antarctic Survey whale research team at King Edward Point have been studying whale movements and patterns of habitat use in South Georgia waters. South Georgia was at the […]

   Read more of: South Georgia Right Whale project – Whale Tracking

   

8. South Georgia Right Whale project

   The South Georgia Right Whale project is a dedicated population survey of southern right whales, in their feeding grounds off South Georgia, since whaling ceased in the 1970s.

   Read more of: South Georgia Right Whale project

   

9. 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

   

10. 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

    

11. 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

    

12. Impact of global disturbances on evolution of polar life

    Why does global biodiversity show such a steep increase just as climates were deteriorating?

    Read more of: Impact of global disturbances on evolution of polar life

    

Funded projects

DARWIN PLUS project 205 (PI) “Creating a sustainable framework for monitoring whales at South Georgia” (October 2024 – March 2027)

DARWIN PLUS project 188 (PI) “Hungry humpbacks: measuring seasonal foraging intensity at South Georgia” (April 2023 – September 2025)

Blue Belt Project (PI) “Cumberland Bay acoustic monitoring project” (April 2022 – March 2023)

NERC short project (PI) Using satellites to measure seasonal humpback whale habitat use in an Antarctic hotspot (June 2021-March 2022). Very high resolution satellite based surveys of the western Antarctic Peninsula.

DARWIN PLUS project 149 (co-Investigator) “Resolving ecosystem effects of the South Georgia winter krill fishery” (October 2021-March 2024). Wintertime cetacean surveys in South Georgia in 2022 and 2023.

DARWIN PLUS project 057 “Population recovery of right whales in South Georgia waters” (April 2017-December 2020). Survey of South Georgia right whales January/February 2020 and assessment of population recovery. Project updates can be found here: www.facebook.com/SGwhale

EU BEST project 1594 “Where are they now? Right whales in the South Georgia marine ecosystem” (May 2017-April 2019). Survey of southern right whales in the waters off South Georgia January/February 2018

Falkland Island sei whale diet and diversity in collaboration with Falklands Conservation with 2018-2019 funding from the RSPB and subsequently via DARWIN PLUS project 082 “Conserving Falklands’ whale populations: addressing data deficiencies for informed management” (2018-2021)

WWF UK project “Tagging and tracking Southern Ocean giants” 2017-2019, tracking the habitat use patterns of humpback whales in South Georgia waters. See our tracking page here.

WWF UK project “Counting Southern Ocean giants from space” 2017-2019, collecting satellite images of the western Antarctic Peninsula, to: (i) estimate whale densities in the Gerlache Strait compared with ship based surveys; and to (ii) assess how whale density varies across the spring, summer and autumn in Wilhelmina Bay.

Antarctic blue whale isotope patterns in collaboration with Oregon State University and funding from the Southern Ocean Research Partnership (2017-2018)

Co-supervisor on “Whales from space” project led by Peter Fretwell and University of Cambridge PhD student Hannah Cubaynes (2016-2019)

Lead supervisor on Polar whalebones project with PhD student Danielle Buss, in collaboration with Dr Tamsin O’Connell at the University of Cambridge and Prof Ian Barnes at the Natural History Museum (2017-2020)

Co-supervisor on South Atlantic krill predator habitat use project with PhD student Connor Bamford with the University of Southampton, led by Dr Phil Trathan (2017-2020)

Supervising summer project student Maria Zicos to analyse the past abundance and population connectivity of New Zealand and Australian right whales using simulation approaches, jointly with Dr Emma Carroll at the University of St Andrews, funded by the Kirsten Scott Memorial Trust (June to Sept 2017)

1. Blog: Blue whale comeback at South Georgia!

   BAS biologist Dr Jennifer Jackson shares exciting updates from the wild water whales expedition. The BAS wild water whales team have spent 25 days surveying whales in South Georgia waters. […]

   Read more of: Blog: Blue whale comeback at South Georgia!

   

2. Blog: South Georgia whale expedition in full swing!

   BAS biologist Dr Jennifer Jackson shares updates from the South Georgia southern right whale expedition currently in progress in the sub-Antarctic. During January 2020, the British Antarctic Survey’s wild water […]

   Read more of: Blog: South Georgia whale expedition in full swing!

   

3. SCIENCE IN THE SEA: Rolling, rolling, rolling

   Whale ecologist Dr Jennifer Jackson, who is leading the first expedition to ‘health-check’ southern right whales since whaling stopped in the 1970s, describes how she and the team prepared for […]

   Read more of: SCIENCE IN THE SEA: Rolling, rolling, rolling

   

1. Whale-ship strikes reduced if 2.6% of ocean made safer

   A new study examines the risk to whales from ship strikes – the leading cause of death worldwide for the species.

   Read more of: Whale-ship strikes reduced if 2.6% of ocean made safer

   

2. BAS shortlisted for NERC’s 2023 Impact Awards

   The shortlist has been announced for The Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Impact Awards 2023. Four BAS projects have made the shortlist and commended list, ranging from biodiversity and ecology to space weather.

   Read more of: BAS shortlisted for NERC’s 2023 Impact Awards

   

3. Space technology and artificial intelligence to monitor whale mass stranding events

   An international team of scientists led by British Antarctic Survey have published research today on using new technology to study mass stranding of whales from space and how the technology […]

   Read more of: Space technology and artificial intelligence to monitor whale mass stranding events

   

4. Hungry humpbacks: New surveys show an abundance of humpback whales on their South Atlantic feeding grounds following whaling ban

   Humpback whale populations are strongly recovering on their feeding grounds in the South Atlantic, with over 24,543 whales now estimated to use polar waters in the Scotia Arc each summer. […]

   Read more of: Hungry humpbacks: New surveys show an abundance of humpback whales on their South Atlantic feeding grounds following whaling ban

   

5. Acoustic research sheds new light on whale sounds 

   Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), and international collaborators have this week published the first detailed research on the sounds made by southern right […]

   Read more of: Acoustic research sheds new light on whale sounds 

   

6. Blue whales return to South Georgia after near extinction

   An international research team led by UK scientists has revealed the return of critically endangered Antarctic blue whales to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, 50 years after whaling all […]

   Read more of: Blue whales return to South Georgia after near extinction

   

7. Humpback whales return to South Georgia

   A new study shows the welcome return of humpback whales to the waters around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia after a century of commercial whaling decimated their populations. The […]

   Read more of: Humpback whales return to South Georgia

   

8. 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

   

9. Migratory secrets of recovering whale species

   Scientists have discovered where a whale species that feeds around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia breeds during the winter months. This understanding of where the animals migrate from will […]

   Read more of: Migratory secrets of recovering whale species

   

10. Return of the whales to South Georgia

    A team led by British Antarctic Survey has just returned from the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, as the last of three expeditions to investigate the recovery of whales a […]

    Read more of: Return of the whales to South Georgia

    

11. Antarctica. BBC blockbuster Seven Worlds, One Planet

    Antarctica – BBC NHU blockbuster

    Read more of: Antarctica. BBC blockbuster Seven Worlds, One Planet

    

12. Stranded whales detected from space

    A new technique for analysing satellite images may help scientists detect and count stranded whales from space. Researchers tested a new detection method using Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images […]

    Read more of: Stranded whales detected from space

    

13. 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

    

14. Expedition to ‘health-check’ Southern Right Whales

    An international team of researchers, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), travels to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia this month (January) to carry out the first scientific whale survey […]

    Read more of: Expedition to ‘health-check’ Southern Right Whales

    

15. New study explains moss migration across the globe

    A new study on mosses found in the polar regions reveals when and how often they have migrated across the Equator. Mosses are the dominant flora in Antarctica, yet little is known of […]

    Read more of: New study explains moss migration across the globe

    

16. PRESS RELEASE: Antarctic seabird in decline

    New research shows decline in population and breeding success of Antarctic seabird A fifty year study of the charismatic seabird, the southern giant petrel, on the Antarctic island of Signy […]

    Read more of: PRESS RELEASE: Antarctic seabird in decline

    

17. PRESS RELEASE: New whale subspecies

    Humpback whale subspecies revealed by genetic study A new genetic study has revealed that populations of humpback whales in the oceans of the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere […]

    Read more of: PRESS RELEASE: New whale subspecies

    

BBC article: return of blue whales to South Georgia

BBC article: southwest Atlantic humpback whale recovery

BBC article: using satellites to study strandings

BBC article: South Georgia right whale project

Guardian Article: South Georgia right whale project

Guardian Article: New Zealand right whale population recovery

Mercopress: Global humpback whale population structure

Livescience: Global humpback whale population structure

• Associate Editor, Journal of Heredity
• Director, Antarctic Science Limited
• Member of IUCN Red List assessment team for whales, IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group
• Board Member, Biology Letters