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Xavier JC, Brandt A, Ropert-Coudert Y, Badhe R, Gutt J, Havermans C, Jones C, Costa ES, Lochte K, Schloss IR, Kennicutt MC II, Sutherland WJ. (2016). Future Challenges in Southern Ocean Ecology Research. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3, 94.
Abstract: The Southern Ocean is experiencing relentless change. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean community, represented by 75 scientists and policy-makers from 22 countries, recently met to formulate a collective vision on the priorities for Antarctic research for the next two decades and beyond. Here, we assess high-interest research areas related specifically to Southern Ocean life and ecology that, although not all retained as the 80 top priorities among the addressed scientific domains, are of considerable relevance to the biology and ecology of the Southern Ocean. As certain regions of the Southern Ocean ecosystems have witnessed abiotic and biotic changes in the last decades (e.g., warming, climate variability, changes in sea ice, and abundance of marine organisms), such an exercise was urgently needed. We concluded that basic biological information on the taxonomy of numerous organisms is still lacking in areas, such as the deep-ocean floor or the under-ice environments. Furthermore, there is a need for knowledge about the response and resilience of Antarctic marine ecosystems to change. The continuation of a long-term commitment and the development and use of innovative technology to adequately monitor the Southern Ocean ecosystems is required. Highlighting the most important Southern Ocean research topics allow the identification of the challenges and future requirements in technological development, and both research and funding strategies for the various stakeholders.
Programme: 1091
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Michelle Antolos, Scott A. Shaffer, Henri Weimerskirch, Yann Tremblay, Daniel P. Costa. (2017). Foraging Behavior and Energetics of Albatrosses in Contrasting Breeding Environments (Vol. 4).
Abstract: Animals can maximize fitness by optimizing energy acquisition through the selection of favorable foraging habitats, but trade-offs exist between time spent in preferred feeding habitats, energetic costs of travel, and reproductive constraints. For pelagic seabirds, geographic distribution of suitable breeding islands can restrict access to marine prey resources and influence foraging strategies. Laysan (Phoebastria immutabilis) and black-footed albatrosses (P. nigripes) breeding in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses (Thalassarche carteri) breeding in the Southern Indian Ocean, utilize productive subtropical-subpolar transition zones during their breeding and non-breeding periods, but this marine feature is at a comparatively greater distance for Hawaiian albatrosses during the breeding period due to location of nesting islands. We investigated the foraging behavior and energetics of these three species to evaluate how proximity to preferred marine habitats has influenced their overall foraging strategies. During incubation, all three species traveled to subtropical-subpolar transition zones, however, Hawaiian albatrosses ranged farther to reach this habitat. All species reduced time at sea during brooding, and Hawaiian albatrosses reduced their foraging ranges to distances similar to yellow-nosed albatrosses. As a consequence, Hawaiian albatrosses foraged in the warm, oligotrophic environment of the subtropical gyre during brooding while yellow-nosed albatrosses continued to forage in a subtropical-subpolar transition zone. Landing rates, an indicator of foraging effort, did not differ between reproductive stages and were highly variable within and among species. Hawaiian albatrosses generally spent more time in flight compared to yellow-nosed albatrosses, a strategy that may relate to searching for dispersed and unpredictable prey. Mean absolute field-metabolic rate (FMR) was greatest for black-footed albatrosses, and similar between Laysan and yellow-nosed albatrosses, but mass-specific FMR did not differ between species. Hawaiian albatrosses had lower total body water than yellow-nosed albatrosses (indicating greater lipid reserves), and had FMRs that fell below the allometric relationship for studied albatross species, attributes that likely reflect physiological adaptations for foraging in a low-productivity environment.
Keywords: activity patterns Black-footed albatross doubly labeled water energetics foraging behavior Indian yellow-nosed albatross Laysan albatross Satellite tracking
Programme: 109
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. (2019). Animal-Borne Telemetry: An Integral Component of the Ocean Observing Toolkit (Vol. 6). Bachelor's thesis, , .
Keywords: Animal Movement Animal movement analysis Animal telemetry EOV habitat use Ocean observing
Programme: 109,1182,1201
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. (2018). (Vol. 5). Bachelor's thesis, , .
Keywords: Breeding Eco-indicating species extreme events foraging marine protected areas sea ice seabirds
Programme: 1091
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. (2019). Happy Feet in a Hostile World? The Future of Penguins Depends on Proactive Management of Current and Expected Threats (Vol. 6). Bachelor's thesis, , .
Keywords: Climate Change Fisheries mitigation pollution Spheniscidae threats
Programme: 1091
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. (2019). Towards Comprehensive Observing and Modeling Systems for Monitoring and Predicting Regional to Coastal Sea Level.
Abstract: A major challenge for managing impacts and implementing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies for coastal zones affected by future sea level (SL) rise is our very limited capacity to predict SL change on coastal scales, over various timescales. Predicting coastal SL requires the ability to monitor and simulate a multitude of physical processes affecting SL, from local effects of wind waves and river runoff to remote influences of the large-scale ocean circulation on the coast. Here we assess our current understanding of the causes of coastal SL variability on seasonal to multi-decadal timescales, including geodetic, oceanographic and atmospheric aspects of the problem, and review available observing systems informing on coastal SL. We also review the ability of current models and data assimilation systems to estimate coastal SL variations and of atmosphere-ocean global coupled models and related regional downscaling efforts to project future SL changes. We discuss (1) key observational gaps and uncertainties, and priorities for the development of an optimal and integrated coastal SL observing system, (2) strategies for advancing model capabilities in forecasting short-term processes and projecting long-term changes affecting coastal SL, and (3) possible future developments of sea level services enabling better connection of scientists and user communities and facilitating assessment and decision making for adaptation to future coastal SL change.
Keywords: coastal adaptation Coastal impacts coastal ocean modeling Coastal sea level integrated observing system observational gaps Sea level trends
Programme: 688
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Gustavo J. Goni, Janet Sprintall, Francis Bringas, Lijing Cheng, Mauro Cirano, Shenfu Dong, Ricardo Domingues, Marlos Goes, Hosmay Lopez, Rosemary Morrow, Ulises Rivero, Thomas Rossby, Robert E. Todd, Joaquin Trinanes, Nathalie Zilberman, Molly Baringer, Tim Boyer, Rebecca Cowley, Catia M. Domingues, Katherine Hutchinson, Martin Kramp, Mauricio M. Mata, Franco Reseghetti, Charles Sun, Udaya Bhaskar TVS, Denis Volkov. (2019). More Than 50 Years of Successful Continuous Temperature Section Measurements by the Global Expendable Bathythermograph Network, Its Integrability, Societal Benefits, and Future (Vol. 6).
Abstract: The first eXpendable BathyThermographs (XBTs) were deployed in the 1960s in the North Atlantic Ocean. In 1967 XBTs were deployed in operational mode to provide a continuous record of temperature profile data along repeated transects, now known as the Global XBT Network. The current network is designed to monitor ocean circulation and boundary current variability, basin-wide and trans-basin ocean heat transport, and global and regional heat content. The ability of the XBT Network to systematically map the upper ocean thermal field in multiple basins with repeated trans-basin sections at eddy-resolving scales remains unmatched today and cannot be reproduced at present by any other observing platform. Some repeated XBT transects have now been continuously occupied for more than 30 years, providing an unprecedented long-term climate record of temperature and geostrophic velocity profiles that are used to understand variability in ocean heat content, sea level change, and meridional ocean heat transport. Here, we present key scientific advances in understanding the changing ocean and climate system supported by XBT observations. Improvement in XBT data quality and its impact on computations, particularly of ocean heat content, are presented. Technology development for probes, launchers, and transmission techniques are also discussed. Finally, we offer new perspectives for the future of the Global XBT Network.
Keywords: Boundary current Expendable bathythermograph (XBT) Meridional heat transport surface current Upper ocean thermal structure
Programme: 694
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Angus F. Henderson, Clive R. McMahon, Rob Harcourt, Christophe Guinet, Baptiste Picard, Simon Wotherspoon, Mark A. Hindell. (2020). Inferring Variation in Southern Elephant Seal At-Sea Mortality by Modelling Tag Failure (Vol. 7).
Abstract: Identifying factors influencing survivorship is key to understanding population persistence. Although satellite telemetry is a powerful tool for studying remote animal ecology and behaviour it is rarely used for demographic studies because distinguishing the death of the animal (individual mortality) from failure of the tag (mechanical tag failure) has proven difficult. Southern elephant seals present an opportunity to separate tag failure from animal mortality thanks to the availability of large tracking datasets, broad knowledge of demographic rates, and because for these large animals, satellite tags are known not to influence mortality rates. A key rationale for investigating satellite telemetry to estimate mortality as compared to using traditional Capture-Mark-Recapture methods is the potential for obtaining spatially and temporally specific information, particularly while the animals are at sea and largely unobservable. We used satellite tag data from 182 seals from Isles Kerguelen, deployed between 2004 and 2018. Of these, 76 (42%) tags transmitted for the full post-moult foraging trip (max. 265 days for females and max. 305 days for sub-adult males) with the remaining 107 tags (58%) ceasing transmission at sea. We found that contrary to expectations, behavioural choices seem not to influence tag failure rates by mechanical means, rather the signals we detected seemed to align with previously described variation in mortality between groups. There was evidence, albeit limited, for an increase in tag failure for adult females in years with negative Southern Annular Mode (lower Southern Ocean productivity). We speculate that this increase in failure may suggest higher mortality in these years. Also, males using the Kerguelen Plateau had higher tag failure rates than those in the sea-ice zone, perhaps indicative of higher mortality. We suspect that these differences in tag failure rates between groups reflect variation in predator exposure and foraging success. This suggests satellite telemetry could be used to infer mortality events for southern elephant seals while they are at sea.
Programme: 1201
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. (2020). Diving Behavior of Mirounga leonina: A Functional Data Analysis Approach (Vol. 7).
Abstract: The diving behavior of southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, is investigated through the analysis of time-depth dive profiles. The originality of this work is to consider dive profiles as continuous curves. For this purpose, a Functional Data Analysis (FDA) approach is proposed for the shape analysis of a collection of dive profiles. Complexity of dive shapes is characterized by a mixture of three main shape variations accounting for about 80% of the entire variability: U or V shape, vertical depth variability during the bottom time, and skewed left or right. Model-based clustering allows the identification of eight dive shape clusters in a quick and automated way. Connection between shape patterns and classical descriptors, as well as the number of prey capture events, is achieved, showing that the clusters are coherent to specific foraging behaviors previously identified in the literature labeled as drift, exploratory and active dives. Finally, FDA is compared to classical methods relying on the computation of discrete dive descriptors. Results show that taking the shape of the dive as a whole is more resilient to corrupted or incomplete sampled data. FDA is, therefore, an efficient tool adapted for processing and comparing dive data with different sampling frequencies and for improving the quality and the accuracy of transmitted data.
Programme: 1201
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Sanne Muis, Maialen Irazoqui Apecechea, Job Dullaart, Joao de Lima Rego, Kristine Skovgaard Madsen, Jian Su, Kun Yan, Martin Verlaan. (2020). A High-Resolution Global Dataset of Extreme Sea Levels, Tides, and Storm Surges, Including Future Projections (Vol. 7).
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