Distributional shifts among seabird communities of the Northern Bering and Chukchi seas in response to ocean warming during 2017–2019

Kuletz, Kathy J.; Cushing, Daniel A.; Labunski, Elizabeth A.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104913

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In contrast to zooplankton, seabirds are highly mobile, hence, their feeding distributions and abundances in the Chukchi Sea can change independently of water masses and can in part be driven by feeding conditions in other areas such as the northern Bering Sea (Kuletz et al, 2020). Nevertheless, we found that species composition was related to the gradient from warm, saline Pacific water to cold, less saline Arctic water (Figures 4 and 6), likely reflecting associations between seabirds and their preferred prey.…”

Section: Borealization Of the Chukchi Sea Shelfmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…For assessing macroinfaunal biomass, up to four 0.1 m 2 grab samples were processed and averaged following Grebmeier et al (2018). Strip-transect-based estimates of seabird density were calculated for ~3 km segments (Kuletz et al, 2020), which were then aggregated to the nearest sampling station (using a threshold of 10 km) by computing the average density across all segments associated with that station. Sampling effort was consistent across stations for eDNA samples but varied across stations for zooplankton (volume filtered: 11-81 m 3 for 150 µm nets, 96-615 m 3 for 505 µm nets), epibenthos and demersal fish (area swept: 113-1,138 m 2 ), macroinfauna (number of grabs: 1-4), and seabirds (total km surveyed: 5.84 km to 61.2 km).…”

Section: Rare Taxamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, zooplankton communities in the eastern Chukchi Sea have been sensitive to warming trends and have exhibited a steady increase in the spread of Pacificorigin species across the entire eastern Chukchi shelf (Ershova et al, 2015;Spear et al, 2020). Warming trends have also been associated with changing seabird communities across the northern Bering and eastern Chukchi shelves, overall favoring planktivorous over piscivorous species (Gall et al, 2017;Kuletz et al, 2020). Similar changes in the Barents Sea have been referred to as the borealization of Arctic ecosystems (Fossheim et al, 2015;Polyakov et al, 2020) and are associated with the northward expansion of boreal (subarctic) species into the Arctic with potentially large impacts on Arctic marine food webs (Kortsch et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seabirds migrate to the Chukchi Sea to feed on zooplankton or fish and often aggregate at feeding hotspots that are associated with ocean-ographic fronts where prey may concentrate (Kuletz et al, 2015). Consistent with an increase in zooplankton abundance, there has been an overall increase in planktivorous seabirds in the eastern Chukchi Sea over recent decades, although the spatial patterns and magnitudes of changes are highly species specific (Gall et al, 2017;Kuletz et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Diversity and Species Composition Across Multiple Assemblages in the eastern Chukchi Sea During Two Contrasting Years are Consistent with Borealization

Mueter¹,

Iken²,

Cooper³

et al. 2021

Oceanog

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The Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network monitors biological assemblages on taxonomic scales ranging from microbes to seabirds on the northeast Chukchi Sea shelf to improve understanding of their responses to changing environmental conditions, including climate change. Here, we compare two years, 2015 and 2017, the latter characterized by a much larger spatial extent of warmer, more saline Pacific waters within the study region. These environmental differences were associated with changes in the taxonomic diversity and species composition of eight different assemblages. Impacts included decreases in the diversity and abundance of benthic species and increases in the diversity and abundance of zooplankton and demersal fish. These observations are consistent with the expected patterns of borealization, a term that describes changes from polar to more southern or boreal conditions and that have been observed on other Arctic inflow shelves where there is communication with the global ocean. A decoupling of the seabird assemblage from other assemblages in 2017 suggests that seabirds were unable to fully adjust to changing prey conditions in 2017. Pronounced differences in the taxonomic composition and a substantial decline in taxonomic diversity of bacteria and protists in 2017 remain unexplained but suggest that these microbes are highly susceptible to changing conditions. Continued warming of the Chukchi Sea will likely result in further borealization, with differential impacts on pelagic and benthic communities.

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Section: Borealization Of the Chukchi Sea Shelfmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Rare Taxamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Changes in Diversity and Species Composition Across Multiple Assemblages in the eastern Chukchi Sea During Two Contrasting Years are Consistent with Borealization

Mueter¹,

Iken²,

Cooper³

et al. 2021

Oceanog

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In particular, the ice extent in 2018 was the lowest since observations in the 1970s [9]. Consequently, over three years, such extreme ice-cover changes have impacted oceanographic and biological conditions in the northern Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea, including impacts on lower and upper trophic levels [33,34]. Annual Chl-a during this period has been higher than ever, which has been associated with annual SIC reduction (R = −0.62, p < 0.01).…”

Section: Chl-a Distributional Features During Extreme Atmospheric Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoplankton Bloom Changes under Extreme Geophysical Conditions in the Northern Bering Sea and the Southern Chukchi Sea

Park

Lee

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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The northern Bering Sea and the southern Chukchi Sea are undergoing rapid regional biophysical changes in connection with the recent extreme climate change in the Arctic. The ice concentration in 2018 was the lowest since observations began in the 1970s, due to the unusually warm southerly wind in winter, which continued in 2019. We analyzed the characteristics of spring phytoplankton biomass distribution under the extreme environmental conditions in 2018 and 2019. Our results show that higher phytoplankton biomass during late spring compared to the 18-year average was observed in the Bering Sea in both years. Their spatial distribution is closely related to the open water extent following winter-onset sea ice retreat in association with dramatic atmospheric conditions. However, despite a similar level of shortwave heat flux, the 2019 springtime biomass in the Chukchi Sea was lower than that in 2018, and was delayed to summer. We confirmed that this difference in bloom timing in the Chukchi Sea was due to changes in seawater properties, determined by a combination of northward oceanic heat flux modulation by the disturbance from more extensive sea ice in winter and higher surface net shortwave heat flux than usual.

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Distributional shifts of wintering midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese

Moore

Osborne

Askren³

et al. 2023

J Wildl Manag

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Despite a historically large degree of philopatry to the Gulf Coastal Plains wintering area in the United States and Mexico, the midcontinent population of greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons) has demonstrated changes in their winter distribution in recent decades, warranting investigation into the timing and magnitude of change. We evaluated spatiotemporal patterns in winter band recovery distribution from 1974–2018 and midwinter waterfowl survey counts for midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese. We used an overlap similarity index to compare annual winter band recovery distributions with a historical reference distribution of 1955–1974, followed by a changepoint analysis to assess the timing and magnitude of distributional change. Our analyses revealed a 2‐stage shift in the distribution of winter band recoveries from midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese that occurred following the 1994–1995 season and the 2009–2010 season. As a result, the spatiotemporal distribution of midcontinent greater white‐fronted goose band recoveries can be explained in 3 distinct time eras: the historical era (1974–1995), the transitional era (1995–2010), and the current era (2010–2018). Patterns in midwinter waterfowl survey counts were consistent with changes in winter band recovery distributions, providing further support that midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese have shifted their core winter distribution nearly 750 km northeast over the last 5 decades from the Gulf Coastal Plain to the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Quantifying the timing and magnitude of this shift in winter distribution of midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese provides clarity to previous patterns in and changes to harvest distribution and could be used to facilitate future decisions regarding harvest management, regulatory frameworks, and habitat conservation planning efforts.

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Distributional shifts among seabird communities of the Northern Bering and Chukchi seas in response to ocean warming during 2017–2019

Cited by 27 publications

References 55 publications

Changes in Diversity and Species Composition Across Multiple Assemblages in the eastern Chukchi Sea During Two Contrasting Years are Consistent with Borealization

Changes in Diversity and Species Composition Across Multiple Assemblages in the eastern Chukchi Sea During Two Contrasting Years are Consistent with Borealization

Phytoplankton Bloom Changes under Extreme Geophysical Conditions in the Northern Bering Sea and the Southern Chukchi Sea

Distributional shifts of wintering midcontinent greater white‐fronted geese

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