Alejandra Mora-Soto
Postdoctoral Fellow in Geography, University of Victoria
2021, PhD in Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK. 2012, MSc. in Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Management, King's College London, UK.
2006, Geographer, Universidad de Chile, Chile
My background is in geography and remote sensing. My PhD research was on the distribution and changes of the giant kelp forest ecosystem, with focus on the sub-Antarctic latitudes of South America. I developed kelp mapping techniques using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel-2 imagery, validated with UAV and underwater surveys. I also compared current and historical kelp distributions using nautical charts from the 19th century, and analysed their future trends through the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves and marine cold-spells around southern Patagonia.
My current postdoctoral research is on the resilience of the kelp forests along the British Columbia coast. The aim of this project is to determine the long-term distribution patterns of kelp forests (giant and bull kelp), to define their spatial-temporal resilience to environmental and biotic drivers. This project also employs a large amount of datasets, from satellite imagery to nautical charts to define how kelp canopies are changing over time.
Outside of my work, I enjoy knitting and drawing. I’m also an amateur accordionist always willing to learn and play more songs.