Melissa Hobson
Melissa Hobson focuses on the ocean, using charismatic marine animals and new science to explain how environmental change is reshaping the sea. She writes features and explainers that turn research findings, rare footage and unusual wildlife events into clear stories for BBC Wildlife Magazine and other science and conservation outlets. Her work is anchored in marine conservation but ranges across animal behaviour, climate impacts, sustainability and ocean-focused travel.
Ocean predators and charismatic megafauna
Hobson returns repeatedly to large, high-profile marine species and the ecological questions they raise. For BBC Wildlife Magazine she has written about a whale shark whose gaping mouth is described as being as wide as a car, using the animal’s extraordinary anatomy to explore feeding strategies and scale in ocean giants.
She examines the status of orcas as “undisputed” apex predators and asks which animals, if any, can kill them, framing predator–prey dynamics and human perceptions of power in the sea. Her coverage of the mass stranding of 77 pilot whales in Orkney turns a single dramatic incident into a lens on the risks facing social, deep-diving cetaceans and the challenges of responding to strandings. Beyond whales, she has highlighted spectacular events such as the multi-species feeding frenzy during South Africa’s sardine run, using the scene to illustrate how predators, prey and ocean conditions interact in one of nature’s most complex shows.
Across these pieces she uses striking individual animals and events to pull readers into wider discussions of food webs, vulnerability and conservation status for headline marine species.
Whale behaviour, sound and stories
Whales are a core thread in Hobson’s portfolio and an area where she drills into behaviour, communication and cultural narratives. She has curated a set of whale-focused articles across outlets, reflecting a deliberate focus on cetaceans as both scientific subjects and storytelling anchors.
For BBC Wildlife Magazine she has covered a haunting underwater sound recorded near Bermuda in 1949, now recognised as one of the earliest whale song recordings, and uses that archival clip to talk about the history of whale acoustics and how scientists came to understand song as communication. Her work for other science magazines includes a feature on humpback whale sex and reproductive behaviour, treating a potentially sensational topic as an opportunity to explain anatomy, mating strategies and their evolutionary implications. She has also traced how the captive orca made famous by a film reshaped debates around whale captivity, connecting public sentiment and media narratives with welfare science and conservation policy.
In these stories she treats whales as complex subjects - social, vocal and culturally significant - rather than simple icons, and uses them to link animal behaviour, ethics and environmental change.
Climate stress, conservation and ocean futures
Hobson’s environment beat is grounded in how climate and human activity are transforming marine ecosystems. She has reported on soaring ocean temperatures and their impact on corals, using warming-driven bleaching and mortality to explain both the vulnerability and resilience of reef systems.
In her Antarctica coverage for BBC Wildlife Magazine she follows scientists who view the continent from the air and are worried by what they see, tying polar change to wider questions about ice, ocean circulation and sea-level rise. She writes regularly about marine conservation initiatives and new research, describing her speciality as covering fresh studies and discoveries in the marine conservation space.
Her work also spans sustainability and eco travel, charting how divers, travellers and organisations can engage with the ocean without compounding environmental pressures. Across these pieces she connects individual case studies - reefs under heat stress, changing polar ice, specific conservation projects - with broader futures for ocean health, emphasising both risk and the practical work underway to protect marine habitats.
Formats, outlets and reporting approach
Hobson works as a marine science and conservation writer under the name The Ocean Writer Ltd., contributing regularly to BBC Wildlife Magazine while maintaining a broad freelance portfolio.
Her author bio notes that she writes about the ocean for outlets including BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, National Geographic, New Scientist and the Guardian, and she describes herself as specialising in work for organisations dedicated to protecting the ocean. On her professional site she presents distinct strands of her work - marine science, conservation, animals, whales and sharks - each with example articles, signalling that she organises her reporting around recurring subject-matter rather than general news.
She frequently builds articles around new footage, archival recordings or singular events, then uses them as entry points to unpack the underlying science, whether in pieces on pilot whale strandings, sardine-run feeding frenzies, historic whale song or defensive behaviours in whales. Across outlets, her tone stays plain and explanatory, prioritising clear descriptions of what researchers observed, what it means for marine animals and what it implies for conservation and environmental policy.
4 more environment journalists.
Abby Wallace
Abby Wallace covers where energy, climate and politics meet, with a focus on how net zero, power markets and extreme weather affect people and institutions. She is an energy and climate reporter at POLITICO, covering U.K. energy policy, climate targets and the transition from fossil fuels. Her subjects include government and opposition debates over net zero, decarbonization, support schemes, infrastructure, public spending and climate adaptation. She also reports on energy companies, household bills, labor standards, supply chains and corporate accountability. Her work connects technical policy choices to jobs, competitiveness, public services and voter sentiment. She uses polling, expert voices and political analysis to examine public attitudes and government response to extreme weather. Before POLITICO, she worked on the companies desk at the Financial Times and the business news desk at Insider. She has also freelanced on politics, business and climate.
Adam Fulton
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Alec Luhn
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Amy Lyall
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