Abstract:

Dans un contexte de réchauffement climatique, la compréhension de l’évolution passée et future du climat dans le monde représente un enjeu majeur, dans la mesure où la calotte Antarctique peut contribuer à la hausse du niveau marin de près de 60 m. De ce fait, il est important d’appréhender et de documenter la variabilité climatique récente impactant le bilan de masse de surface antarctique, plus spécifiquement dans les régions côtières. Néanmoins, les enregistrements issus des observations instrumentales et satellitaires sont bien trop courts pour faire la distinction entre la variabilité naturelle du signal climatique et l’impact anthropique. D’où le lancement du raid scientifique ASUMA (« Improving the Accurancy of SUrface Mass balance of Antarctica »), dans le cadre de l’ANR (« Agence Nationale de la Recherche »), en Terre Adélie, zone côtière à fort taux d’accumulation caractérisée par la présence de vents catabatiques, afin de mieux connaitre l’évolution actuelle du bilan de masse. Un volet du projet est d’analyser la composition isotopique des carottes de névé dans l’objectif de fournir des informations sur le cycle hydrologique atmosphérique et la dynamique climatique. D’ailleurs, Sentia GOURSAUD (2018)  montre que, dans la région côtière de Terre Adélie, la composition isotopique ne dépend pas que de la température de surface locale mais qu’elle est aussi sous l’influence d’autres facteurs (dynamique atmosphérique, sources et transport de l’humidité, phénomènes post-déposition).

Dans ce rapport, deux sites de forages de carottes courtes du programme ASUMA ont été étudiés dans l’objectif de faire un transect le long de la pente menant au haut plateau antarctique, entre les points D47 à 1550 m d’altitude et STOP_0 à 2460m. Les mesures isotopiques effectuées ont permis de reconstruire la variabilité climatique sur les 50 dernières années grâce à une méthode analytique continue, l’analyse en flux continu ou CFA (« Continuous Flow Analysis »). Bien que cette méthode soit utilisée en laboratoire depuis quelques années, elle a été récemment développée au LSCE sur les carottes de névé.

Abstract: Aspergillosis is pervasive in bird populations, especially those under human care. Its management can be critically impacted by exposure to high levels of conidia and by resistance to azole drugs. The fungal contamination in the environment of a Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) group, housed in a French zoological park next to numerous large crop fields, was assessed through three serial sessions of surface sampling in nests, in 2018–20: all isolates were counted and characterized by sequencing. When identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, they were systematically screened for resistance mutations in the cyp51A gene and tested for minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) determination. At the same time, the clinical incidence of aspergillosis was evaluated in the penguin population by the means of systematic necropsy and mycological investigations. A microsatellite-based analysis tracked the circulation of A. fumigatus strains. Environmental investigations highlighted the substantial increase of the fungal load during the summer season (>12-fold vs. the other timepoints) and a large overrepresentation of species belonging to the Aspergillus section Fumigati, ranging from 22.7 to 94.6% relative prevalence. Only one cryptic species was detected (A. nishimurae), and one isolate exhibited G138S resistance mutation with elevated MICs. The overall incidence of aspergillosis was measured at ∼3.4% case-years, and mostly in juveniles. The analysis of microsatellite polymorphism revealed a high level of genetic diversity among A. fumigatus clinical isolates. In contrast, one environmental strain appeared largely overrepresented during the summer sampling session. In all, the rural location of the zoo did not influence the emergence of resistant strains.- The incidence of aspergillosis in the penguin population of a French zoo was found elevated, mostly in juveniles.- The fungal contamination was high in the surrounding environment, especially at the end of summer.- Globally, a great level of genetic diversity was observed, except for one clonal strain.

Abstract: Indirect ecological interactions such as competition for resources between fisheries and marine predators have often been proposed but can be difficult to demonstrate empirically. The Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Indian Ocean supports fisheries for both Patagonian toothfish and mackerel icefish and is also an important foraging ground for several avian and mammalian predators, including the southern elephant seal. We quantified the spatio-temporal use of the plateau by southern elephant seals and found that males and females spent 30% of their time on the plateau within the commonly used fishing grounds, indicating the possibility of competition for resources there. We then contrasted the seals’ use of two habitat types, the benthos (where interactions with the long-line fisheries are most likely) and the epi-pelagic zone. The likelihood of feeding on the benthos declined as ocean depth increased and was also less likely at night. Males were also more likely to feed on the benthos than females. The sub-adult male seals consumed an estimated 6,814 – 14,848 tons of high energy content prey (including toothfish) and females 7,085 – 18,037 tons from the plateau during the post-molt winter months. For males this represented 79.6 – 173.4% of the mean annual catch by the Kerguelen fishery compared to 82.8 – 210.7% for adult females. When considering the seals consumption of fish from the benthos within the fishing grounds these estimates decreased to 3.6 – 15.1% of the fishery’s total annual catch for females and 7.8 – 19.1% for males. While this further indicates the possibility of indirect ecological interactions (with the fishery taking more fish than the seals), the lack of detailed diet information for the seals precludes us from establishing the degree or nature of the possible interactions because the importance of toothfish and icefish in the diet of the seals is unknown. However, the unique life history and highly polygynous nature of this species, and the lack of evidence of a measurable effect on either the seal’s population growth rates or the catch per unit of the fishery, suggest that any indirect ecological interactions are not of sufficient magnitude to affect either the seal population or the fishery.

Abstract: Seabirds play important roles as marine ecosystem sentinels. Studying their at-sea ecology is essential for understanding how environmental variability affects their populations. However, the at-sea ecology of small-sized temperate seabirds remains poorly studied. We explored the at-sea ecology of the Critically Endangered MacGillivray’s prion Pachyptila macgillivrayi breeding on the subtropical Saint Paul Island. Using global location sensor loggers and stable isotope analysis, we investigated movements, migratory strategies, at-sea activity and moulting period, and characterized the isotopic niche of tracked individuals. During incubation, MacGillivray’s prions remained in temperate waters north of the Subtropical Front, possibly feeding on prey caught in cold eddies. During the inter-breeding period, individuals wintered almost equally to the north and south of the Subtropical Front in 2 distinct sectors (Tasman Sea and Southwest Indian Ridge). Daily activity varied seasonally, and individuals overwintering in the Tasman Sea spent more time flying at night when moonlight intensity was high. Moulting occurred after the breeding period and lasted longer compared to other prion species. Isotopic data suggest a higher dietary proportion of low trophic-level prey for MacGillivray’s prions than for Antarctic and slender-billed prions, highlighting trophic segregation in relation to bill width. Our study provides new evidence to understand the suite of adaptations allowing the abundant prion species to coexist by feeding on prey of different sizes. Contrary to the majority of seabird species, MacGillivray’s prions from Saint Paul Island exhibited 2 migratory tactics with associated differences in at-sea activity, leading to questions about the origin of these differences.

Abstract: To mitigate temporal aliasing effects in monthly mean global gravity fields from the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite tandem missions, both tidal and non-tidal background models describing high-frequency mass variability in atmosphere and oceans are needed. To quantify tides in the atmosphere, we exploit the higher spatial (31 km) and temporal (1 hr) resolution provided by the latest atmospheric ECMWF reanalysis, ERA5. The oceanic response to atmospheric tides is subsequently modeled with the general ocean circulation model MPIOM (in a recently revised TP10L40 configuration that includes the feedback of self-attraction and loading to the momentum equations and has an improved bathymetry around Antarctica) as well as the shallow water model TiME (employing a much higher spatial resolution and more elaborate tidal dissipation than MPIOM). Both ocean models consider jointly the effects of atmospheric pressure variations and surface wind stress. We present the characteristics of 16 waves beating at frequencies in the 1–6 cpd band and find that TiME typically outperforms the corresponding results from MPIOM and also FES2014b as measured from comparisons with tide gauge data. Moreover, we note improvements in GRACE-FO laser ranging interferometer range-acceleration pre-fit residuals when employing the ocean tide solutions from TiME, in particular, for the S1 spectral line with most notable improvements around Australia, India, and the northern part of South America.