A researcher whose work assesses the conservation challenges and management risks associated with sea level rise has been chosen as Australia’s nominee for the US$25,000 APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE). Dr Nicholas Murray from UNSW Sydney was selected by an expert panel ...  Read the story here (Australian Academy of Sciences) and here (The Australian).

Our analysis of the global distribution and change of tidal flats was featured in The Guardian yesterday. I discuss how we applied a machine learning classifier to the entire Landsat archive to map the distribution of one of the last unmapped coastal ecosystems and what it could mean for tidal flat conservation. Read the story here.  

Our new paper in Nature is featured in Hakai magazine. This is the story of tidal flats, their global distribution as discovered by machine learning and remote sensing, and how their losses are impacting shorebird populations around the world. Read the story here.  

Roberta Kwok interviewed me for a feature on the use of satellite data and remote sensing tools in ecology, published in Nature yesterday.  

A great article on Mongabay by Benjamin Graham reports the great news that 14 sites along China's coastline have been added to the tentative world heritage list. Our tidal flat mapping in the region showed massive losses of this coastal ecosystem and listing on the World Heritage list is a very promising step signalling improved conservation of this threatened ecosystem.

Our free remote sensing app, that allows users with very little experience in satellite remote sensing to make maps from Landsat data, is featured in ITNews. Users can easily implement machine learning classifications using more than 10 global geospatial layers. Make highly accurate maps using cutting-edge remote sensing for free. Read here.

This week an important article on migratory shorebirds that features some of my research was published in the New York Times. 

Some of my work was featured in a four part feature by the Ann Jones of the ABC on the alarming plight of migratory shorebirds. The radio documentary is available on ABC, with the long-format article here (flying for their lives) and the a story in Australian Geographic.

UNSW taps NASA, machine learning, for new landscape tracking tool by Matt Johnston, ITnews (2018)

Ecology’s remote-sensing revolution by Roberta Kwok, Nature (2018) * a feature on my research

Migrating shorebirds in danger, due to disappearing mudflats by Elizabeth Pennisi, Science (2017)

Flying for their lives, by Ann Jones, Australian Geographic (2017) 

Hostile Shores by Christina Larson, Science (2016)

China’s new Great Wall is not for the birds Dispatch, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (2015)

Losing Tidal Flats Around the Yellow Sea NASA News (2014)

Shorebirds, the world’s greatest travellers, face extinction by Fitzpatrick & Senner, New York Times (2018)

Flying for their lives by Ann Jones, ABC (2016)

Australia’s migratory shorebirds at risk from Asia’s urban sprawl Sydney Morning Herald (2015)

Australian migratory bird numbers in freefall due to destruction of east Asia tidal flats ABC News (2015)

Asian habitat loss spells trouble for Aussie migratory birds The Rakyat Post, (2015)

Migratory birds' fuelling station empty Phys.org (2015) 

Chinese, Korean coastal development closes stopover for Australian migratory birds 9news (2015)

Australia migratory bird levels plunge from Asia development News24, (2015)

El desarrollo urbano en Asia puede llevar a la extinción de aves migratorias diariovasco.com (2015)

Eureka 2015: Australia's top science prizes announced Australian Geographic (2015)

Australia’s top science prizes for 2015 Business Insider (2015)