Logan J. Pallin
Marine Vertebrate Ecophysiology
Postdoctoral Researcher · UC Santa Cruz

Logan J.
Pallin

Department of Ocean Sciences &
Institute of the Arts and Sciences
University of California, Santa Cruz

I study marine ecology, wildlife biology, physiology, and demography — tracing how populations of marine predators respond to natural and human-driven change. Using tissue biomarkers, endocrinology, and long-term field data, I track the health and recovery of marine vertebrate populations across ocean basins as their world rapidly transforms.

695
Citations
21
Publications
13
h-index
13+
Yrs Fieldwork
View Research Publications Get in Touch
What I study
Three pillars of my science
🐋

Physiology & Demography

Using hormone assays to reveal endocrine patterns and population health in marine vertebrates at scale across ocean basins.

🌊

Climate, Ecosystem & Conservation

Tracing how rapid ecosystem and anthropogenic changes cascade through the food web, and translating that science into conservation momentum — working toward management and policy that keeps pace with a rapidly changing ocean.

🎨

Science & Society

Bridging the gap between research and the public — making complex ocean science tangible, personal, and urgent through museum exhibitions, media, and education that connect people to the marine world.

Science & Discovery

Active Research Areas

Integrating physiology, ecology, and conservation biology to understand how marine vertebrates navigate a changing planet.

Physiological and health metrics framework
Physiology & Health

Physiological & Health Metrics

From blubber hormone assays that reveal reproductive state and physiological stress, to genetic tools that reconstruct population structure and demographic trends, this work builds the physiological and health toolkit needed to monitor wildlife populations at scale. These approaches are minimally invasive — a significant evolution beyond the destructive methods of commercial and scientific whaling — allowing us to track population health across ocean basins and over time. Together, these metrics form a mechanistic link between individual health and population dynamics, enabling detection of how environmental and anthropogenic pressures translate into population-level consequences.

Pallin et al. 2018 Pallin et al. 2018b Pallin et al. 2022 Pallin et al. 2022b Pallin et al. 2024 Marcondes et al. 2021
Sea ice, krill and whale population dynamics
Climate & Ecosystem

Krill Availability & Antarctic Baleen Whale Health

In the rapidly warming Southern Ocean, shifts in sea ice alter krill abundance — with direct consequences for the whales that depend on them. My research links environmental variability, foraging ecology, and population health to changes in whale population growth and reproductive success.

Pallin et al. 2023 Bierlich et al. 2022
Integrating multi-metric whale data into ecosystem management
Conservation Science

Whales, Krill Fisheries & Adaptive Management

Baleen whales are the largest krill consumers in the Antarctic ecosystem. As these populations recover and re-occupy the Southern Ocean while the commercial krill fishery simultaneously expands, the collision course between conservation and industry is accelerating. My ongoing work — in collaboration with national delegations and NGOs — aims to establish real-time physiological and health indicators that feed directly into management decision cycles, so that conservation policy can keep pace with both ecosystem change and population recovery.

Work in Progress
An Aesthetics of Resilience — IAS UCSC exhibition
Credit: IAS Weather and the Whale
Art–Science

Art, Science & Climate Communication

As a Contributing Scientist at UCSC's Institute of the Arts and Sciences, I collaborate with artists and curators to translate long-term climate datasets into immersive public experiences. The Aesthetics of Resilience exhibition and the Weather and the Whale University of Minnesota Press catalog demonstrate what's possible when rigorous empirical work and creative practice share the same space.

IAS Exhibition
Beyond the Lab

Science for Everyone

The most urgent findings in marine science are too important to remain inaccessible. I'm committed to bringing marine science into classrooms, galleries, and the public square to make it more tangible and accessible — because science only creates impact when it reaches people.

Rosalind Franklin believed that "science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated." Stephen Hawking warned that "we cannot have a future where science is the domain of experts alone." Both statements sit at the heart of why I do this work.

Marine vertebrates, like whales, are among the most charismatic animals on Earth, yet most people have never encountered the scientific evidence that shapes decisions about their protection. From the legacies of commercial hunting to the cascading effects of rapidly changing ecosystems, the stories they carry as ecosystem sentinels are profound — and urgently public. I believe scientists have a responsibility to meet people where they are: in schools, in museums, in the news, in conversation, and in their communities.

Over the last decade, I have partnered with educators, journalists, artists, NGOs, and policymakers to communicate marine science in ways that are honest, accessible, and lasting. The work below represents those efforts — from the front pages of the New York Times to elementary school classrooms in Minnesota.

Logan Pallin presenting at the Aesthetics of Resilience exhibition, IAS UCSC
Featured Project · IAS, UC Santa Cruz · 2025–2026

An Aesthetics of Resilience:
Weather and the Whale

What does climate change feel like? An Aesthetics of Resilience is a collaborative research initiative bringing scientists, artists, humanists, and activists together to examine multiple experiences of vulnerability in the face of climate change — a collaborative exploration of the vulnerabilities of marine mammals in the age of climate change. Through original research, newly commissioned artworks, immersive exhibitions, and public programming, the initiative is designed to transform understanding about the cascading social, political, and environmental challenges affecting our lives. Learn more at the IAS project page.

As a Contributing Scientist, I helped translate field research from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary into an exhibition language accessible to anyone — especially the coastal communities that call Monterey Bay home. This included bringing marine mammal toxicology data to bear on the land-to-sea impacts of agricultural practices along the California coast — revealing how pesticides and contaminants move from farmland into the ocean and into the bodies of the animals that live there. There is no magic barrier between land and sea. The project culminated in Weather and the Whale, an exhibition catalog published by University of Minnesota Press — documenting the science, the art, and the irreplaceable conversations that happen when both inhabit the same room. The catalog can be found here.

Visit the IAS project page
In the News
The New York Times
Humpback Whale Baby Boom Near Antarctica
2018
Nature Magazine
How to tell when there's a baby whale on the way
2018
Smithsonian Magazine
Antarctica's Waters May Soon Harbor a Boom of Baby Humpback Whales
2018
The Christian Science Monitor
How humpback whales made a global comeback
2018
ABC News (Live)
Scientists are 'racing against the clock' to collect crucial data on life in Antarctica
2019
World Wide Fund for Nature
The next generation of Antarctic scientists & Whales' frozen lifeline
2019, 2025
The Associated Press
Antarctic Krill Fishing: surging demand raising concerns over Antarctica's future
2023
The Daily Maverick
The Krill Catastrophe: a crucial Antarctic creature doomed by geopolitics and overfishing
2025
Education & Community
🏫
Polar STEAM

K-12 Science Education

As a Polar STEAM Fellow, I am actively collaborating with K-12 educators and artists to bring Antarctic science into the hands of the next generation of STEAM leaders. Through Polar-ICE and Data Nuggets (Rutgers University), I have also created curriculum connecting real Antarctic field datasets to K-12 classrooms across the country. I've served as lead judge and research mentor at the Santa Cruz County K-12 STEAM Expo, and co-chaired a regional science fair in Minnesota.

🌊
California Ocean Alliance

California Ocean Alliance

As a contributing member of COA, I help support the Marine Mammal Scientist in Training (MMST) program for local high school students — giving the next generation of ocean scientists their first hands-on research experience aboard real field vessels in the Monterey Bay.

🎓

Undergraduate Mentoring

I have mentored 14+ undergraduate researchers at UCSC, Duke, and partner institutions, with a strong commitment to supporting students from underrepresented communities. Several mentees are now pursuing graduate degrees in marine science and conservation biology.

695
Citations
13
h-index
21
Peer-Reviewed
12
In Review
ORCID
0000-0001-8024-9663
Manuscripts Submitted, In Review, or In Preparation
  • —
    Pallin, L.J. et al.
    Effects of the COVID-19 Anthropause on humpback whale blubber cortisol levels in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
    Conservation Physiology
    In RevisionFirst Author
  • —
    Brown et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Built to Dive: Untargeted metabolomics identifies pathways central to diving success in the world's best divers.
    The Journal of Physiology
    In Revision
  • —
    Robb-Spears, H. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Male humpback whales arrive reproductively primed to the breeding grounds: variation in blubber hormones across regional, seasonal, and social contexts.
    Conservation Physiology
    In Revision
  • —
    Allen et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Bubble-net feeding shows demographic and individual variation in Antarctic humpback whales.
    Behavioral Ecology
    In Review
  • —
    Kellar et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Blubber cortisol and sonar: Glucocorticoid responses of common dolphins to controlled simulated MFAS exposure.
    Conservation Physiology
    In Review
  • —
    Eichenberger et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Migratory fidelity across four decades shapes genetic structure of humpback whales on feeding grounds of the eastern North Pacific.
    Marine Ecology Progress Series
    In Revision
  • —
    Pallin, L.J. et al.
    Monitoring the effects of the Antarctic krill fishery must include its most important predators: whales.
    Fish and Fisheries
    In ReviewFirst Author
  • —
    Pallin, L.J. et al.
    Closing at the Wrong Time: Seasonal Gaps in the Proposed Antarctic Peninsula MPA Could Significantly Undermine Humpback Whale Recovery.
    Conservation Letters
    In ReviewFirst Author
  • —
    Cole, M. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Cetacean abundance and distribution at Palmer Station, Antarctica: patterns and insights from 10 years of survey effort.
    Progress in Oceanography
    In Review
  • —
    Kristan, A. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Examining the sustainability standards of the Marine Stewardship Council: a case study of the Antarctic krill fishery.
    Marine Ecology Progress Series
    In Review
  • —
    Botero-Acosta, N. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Mind the gap: spatial telemetry reveals transboundary mismatches in protection for migratory humpback whales.
    Biological Conservation
    In Review
  • —
    Pallin, L.J. et al.
    Three decades of stable mtDNA haplotype frequencies and late-season detection of Oceania humpback whales along the Antarctic Peninsula.
    Marine Ecology Progress Series
    In PreparationFirst Author
Peer-Reviewed Publications · Google Scholar: October 2026
  • 21
    Beltran, R. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Insights from field chemical immobilization of northern elephant seals over two decades.
    Scientific Reports (2026)
    2026 DOI
  • 20
    Ponganis, P.J., McDonald, B.I., Williams, C.L. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Carboxyhemoglobin and depletion of blood oxygen in sleeping elephant seals.
    Journal of Comparative Physiology B (2026)
    2026 DOI
  • 19
    Monreal, P.J., Savoca, M.S., Babcock-Adams, L. et al. (incl. Pallin, L.J.)
    Organic ligands in whale excrement support iron availability and reduce copper toxicity to the surface ocean.
    Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 20 (2025)
    2025 DOI
  • 18
    Costa, D.P., Holser, R.R., Keates, T.R., … Pallin, L.J., et al.
    Two decades of three-dimensional movement data from adult female northern elephant seals.
    Scientific Data, 11, 1357 (2024)
    2024 DOI
  • 17
    Allen, J.A., Nichols, R.C., Pallin, L.J., Johnston, D.W., Friedlaender, A.S.
    Use and prevalence of novel bubble-net foraging strategy in Western Antarctic humpback whales.
    Marine Ecology Progress Series, 743:97–111 (2024)
    2024 DOI
  • 16
    Pallin, L.J., Garrigue, C., Kellar, N.M., Baker, C.S., et al.
    Demographic and physiological signals of reproductive events in humpback whales on a southwest Pacific breeding ground.
    Conservation Physiology, Volume 12, Issue 1, coae038 (2024)
    2024First Author DOI
  • 15
    Brown, C.V., McKnight, J.C., Bain, A.R., … Pallin, L.J., … & Ainslie, P.N.
    Selected and shared hematological responses to apnea in elite human free-divers and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris).
    American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (2024)
    2024 DOI
  • 14
    Fraleigh, D.C., Pallin, L.J., Friedlaender, A.S., Barlow, J., et al.
    The influence of biopsy site and pregnancy on stable isotope ratios in humpback whale skin.
    Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry: RCM, 38(11), e9746 (2024)
    2024 DOI
  • 13
    Kettemer, L.E., Ramm, T., Broms, F., … Pallin, L.J., et al.
    Don't mind if I do: Arctic humpback whales respond to winter foraging opportunities before migration.
    Royal Society Open Science, 10(9), 230069 (2023)
    2023 DOI
  • 12
    Cimino, M.A., Conroy, J.A., Connors, E., … Pallin, L.J., et al.
    Long-term patterns in ecosystem phenology near Palmer Station, Antarctica, from the perspective of the Adélie penguin.
    Ecosphere, 14(2), e4417 (2023)
    2023 DOI
  • 11
    Pallin, L.J., Kellar, N.M., Steel, D., Botero-Acosta, N., et al.
    A surplus no more? Variation in krill availability impacts reproductive rates of Antarctic baleen whales.
    Global Change Biology, 29(8), 2108–2121 (2023)
    2023First Author DOI
  • 10
    Pallin, L.J., Botero-Acosta, N., Steel, D., et al.
    Variation in blubber cortisol levels in a recovering humpback whale population inhabiting a rapidly changing environment.
    Scientific Reports, 12, 20250 (2022)
    2022First Author DOI
  • 9
    Bierlich, K.C., Hewitt, J., Schick, R., Pallin, L.J., Dale, J., Friedlaender, A., … & Johnston, D.W.
    Seasonal gain in body condition of foraging humpback whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 2363 (2022)
    2022 DOI
  • 8
    Pallin, L.J., Bierlich, K.C., Durban, J., Fearnbach, H., Savenko, O., Baker, C.S., … & Friedlaender, A.
    Demography of an ice-obligate mysticete in a region of rapid environmental change.
    Royal Society Open Science, 9, 220724 (2022)
    2022First Author DOI
  • 7
    Marcondes, M.C.C., Cheeseman, T., Jackson, J.A., Pallin, L.J., et al.
    The Southern Ocean Exchange: porous boundaries between humpback whale breeding populations in southern polar waters.
    Scientific Reports, 11, 23618 (2021)
    2021 DOI
  • 6
    Modest, M., Irvine, L., Andrews-Goff, V., … Pallin, L.J., … Friedlaender, A.
    First description of migratory behavior of humpback whales from an Antarctic feeding ground to a tropical calving ground.
    Animal Biotelemetry, 9, 42 (2021)
    2021 DOI
  • 5
    Atkinson, S., …, Pallin, L.J., et al.
    Genetic, Endocrine, and Microbiological Assessments of Blue, Humpback and Killer Whale Health using Unoccupied Aerial Systems.
    Wildlife Society Bulletin (2021)
    2021 DOI
  • 4
    Caballero, S., Steel, D., Pallin, L.J., …, Friedlaender, A., Baker, C.S.
    Migratory connections among breeding grounds off the Eastern Pacific and feeding areas in the Antarctic Peninsula based on genotype matching.
    Bulletin of Marine and Coastal Research, 50 (Supl. Esp.), 31–40 (2021)
    2021 DOI
  • 3
    Pallin, L.J., Robbins, J., Kellar, N., Berube, M., Friedlaender, A.
    Validation of a blubber-based endocrine pregnancy test for humpback whales.
    Conservation Physiology, 6(1): coy031 (2018)
    2018First Author DOI
  • 2
    Pallin, L.J., Baker, C.S., Steel, D., Kellar, N.M., Robbins, J., Johnston, D.W., Nowacek, D.P., Read, A.J., Friedlaender, A.S.
    High pregnancy rates in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) around the Western Antarctic Peninsula, evidence of a rapidly growing population.
    Royal Society Open Science, 5: 180017 (2018)
    2018First Author DOI
  • 1
    Riekkola, L., …, Pallin, L.J., Robbins, J., Steel, D., et al.
    Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales.
    Ecological Indicators, 89, 455–465 (2018)
    2018 DOI
Reports, Exhibition Catalogs, Books & More
  • —
    Nelson, R., Moore, A., & Friedlaender, A. (Eds.); Pallin, L.J., Lew, C., Botero-Acosta, N. (Contributing Scientists)
    Weather and the Whale: A collaborative exploration of the vulnerabilities of marine mammals in the age of climate change. Exhibition Catalog. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN: 9781517921712
    University of Minnesota Press (2026)
    2026
  • —
    Pallin, L.J., Friedlaender, A., Reisinger, R., Johnson.
    Near Real-Time Monitoring of Southern Hemisphere Whale Population Health and Connectivity. Report to the IWC SC/70/EM/01. Bled, Slovenia.
    International Whaling Commission (May 2026)
    2026
  • —
    Pallin, L.J.
    Using tissue biomarkers to understand the demography and recovery of baleen whales in a rapidly changing environment. (Ph.D. Dissertation)
    University of California, Santa Cruz (2022)
    2022 ProQuest
  • —
    Pallin, L.J.
    Temporal Variation in Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Demographics Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. (Master's Thesis)
    Oregon State University (2017)
    2017 OSU Archive
  • —
    Pallin, L.J., Adams, E.M., Goyert, H.F., Friedlaender, A.S., Johnston, D.W.
    Density modeling for marine mammals and sea turtles with environmental covariates. In: Wildlife Densities and Habitat Use Across Temporal and Spatial Scales on the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.
    Biodiversity Research Institute / Dept of Energy EERE (2015)
    2015
Life in the Field

Fun & Photos

From Antarctic ice floes to the kelp forests of Monterey Bay — field science takes you to places most people only see in documentaries.

All research photos collected under appropriate federal and international research permits.

Lunge feeding humpback whales, Monterey Bay
Lunge feeding, Monterey Bay
Humpback whale breach, Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctic Peninsula
Humpback breach, Wilhelmina Bay
Humpback whale spyhop, Monterey Bay
Humpback spyhop, Monterey Bay
King penguin feathers close-up, South Georgia
King penguin, South Georgia
Southern Giant Petrel, Antarctic Peninsula
Southern Giant Petrel
Field team, Ushuaia Argentina
Teamwork
Glacier face, South Georgia
Glacier face, South Georgia
Southern Elephant Seal, South Georgia
Southern Elephant Seal, South Georgia
Crabeater Seal, Antarctic Peninsula
Crabeater Seal, Antarctic Peninsula
Leopard Seal, Antarctic Peninsula
Leopard Seal, Antarctic Peninsula
King Penguin eye close-up, South Georgia
King Penguin eye, South Georgia
Fieldwork, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Fieldwork, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Curriculum Vitae

Logan J. Pallin

I try to keep this document updated, but it may not always reflect the most current information. Please see the Publications page or my ORCID profile for the most recent updates.

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LJP

Let's Connect

Postdoctoral Researcher · Marine Ecophysiologist

Department of Ocean Sciences & IAS · UC Santa Cruz

lpallin@ucsc.edu
Department of Ocean Sciences
University of California, Santa Cruz
115 McAllister Way · Santa Cruz, California 95060