Use of seabirds to monitor sea-surface temperatures and to validate satellite remote-sensing measurements in the Southern Ocean

Weimerskirch, Henri; Rp, Wilson; Guinet, Christophe; Koudil, Malik

doi:10.3354/meps126299

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Data were plotted using Elsa99 software (release 1.0, Soft & Technique Informatique). Locations were filtered such that those that suggested transit speeds > 3 m s -1 were excluded (Weimerskirch et al 1995, Bost et al 1997, Bonadonna et al 2000. The maximal distance from the colony reached by each seal was measured between the farthest point and the colony, and the total length of a foraging trip was obtained by summing all distances between 2 consecutive points of this trip.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Bailleul¹,

Luque²,

Dubroca³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Marine top-predators such as marine mammals forage in a heterogeneous environment according to their energetic requirements and to the variation in environmental characteristics. In this study, the behaviour of breeding females in 2 sympatric fur seal species, Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella and Subantarctic fur seal A. tropicalis, was investigated in relation to foraging effort. Foraging effort was hypothesised to be greater in Antarctic fur seal than in Subantarctic fur seal due to their shorter lactation period. Using satellite telemetry, time-depth recorders and satellite images of sea-surface temperature and chlorophyll a concentration, the foraging grounds, the at-sea activity budgets and the environmental features were determined for both species breeding on the Crozet Archipelago. Foraging cycle duration was similar for the 2 species, and the seals exhibited similar at-sea activity budgets. Only the proportion of time spent at sea was higher in Antarctic fur seals. Separate foraging areas were identified for the 2 species. Antarctic fur seal distribution was related to bathymetric features, while we did not find any direct relationship between chlorophyll a concentration and seal foraging areas. Our results suggest that Antarctic fur seals tend to respond to the higher needs of their pups by having a higher foraging efficiency and concentrating their foraging activity in the most productive areas.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Bailleul¹,

Luque²,

Dubroca³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…winter season) and in locations (e.g. Southern Ocean) that are otherwise difficult to sample synoptically by more conventional means (Ancel et al 1992, Weimerskirch et al 1995. Current telemetry techniques deployed on foraging seabirds can provide information on prey distribution; e.g.…”

Section: Need For Seabirds As Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pros and cons of using seabirds as ecological indicators

Durant¹,

Hjermann²,

Frederiksen³

et al. 2009

Clim. Res.

110

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Climate change and overfishing are increasingly causing unanticipated changes in marine ecosystems (e.g. shifts in species dominance). In order to understand and anticipate these changes, there is a crucial need for indicators that summarise large quantities of information into a few relevant and accessible signals. Seabirds have been suggested as good candidates for ecological indicators of the marine environment; however, few studies have critically evaluated their value as such. We review the role of seabirds as ecological indicators, and discuss their limitations and drawbacks, as compared to other types of indicators. In addition, we highlight the statistical consequences of inverse inference when using seabird data as indicators. We discuss the use of integrated indices and the use of seabirds as autonomous samplers of the marine environment. Finally, we highlight the necessary steps preceding the use of seabirds as indicators. We conclude that, in order to use seabird time series properly, the use of recent advances both in statistics and in remote sensing is a way to move forward. This, along with the assessment of their usefulness, should enable us to use seabird indicators appropriately for managing urgent conservation problems.

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“…An estimated 1000000 pairs of king penguins breed on the Crozet Archipelago, south-west Indian Ocean (Guinet et al 1995), and their annual food consumption is about 0.8 X 106 t, of which 85 to 90% is myctophid fish (Guinet et al 1996). The pelagic distribution of king penguins was first investigated at Crozet Archipelago in 1992 using the Argos satellite tracking techn~que (Jouventin et al 1994); during the austral summer, king penguins were found to forage mainly in a southward direction, reaching the latitude at which the Polar Front was generally located.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging behaviour of satellite-tracked king penguins in relation to sea-surface temperatures obtained by satellite telemetry at Crozet Archipelago, a study during three austral summers

Guinet¹,

Koudil²,

Ca³

et al. 1997

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT. Mle lnvestlgated the foraging behaviour of king pengulns In relation to sea-surface temperature distribution over 3 years near the Crozet Archipelago, South Indlan Ocean. Wlthln their range there are 2 hydrographlc frontaI systems, whose seasonal patterns of productivity are predictable. These are the Polar Front and the Sub-Antarctic Front. During the austral summer the foraging range of breeding king pengulns was restricted to the Polar Frontal Zone, limlted to the south by the Polar Front and to the north by the Sub-Antarctic Front. Most b~r d s travelled towards the colder water situated south of Crozet, w h~l e other birds moved east to warmer water Blrds travelling south spent more time than expected in the coldest waters generally associated with the Polar Front. Birds travelling east reached the southern limit of the Sub-Antarctic Front (sea-surface temperature between 8 and 10°C). Within the Polar Frontal Zone birds differed In their foraging behaviour, with incubating birds remaining at sea for longer times and covering longer distances. During the incubation period, king penguins travelling south tended to spend their time in areas with a sea-surface temperature between 4 and 5°C. which coincide with the location of the Polar Front. Though these birds remained a t sea longer, they did not go any further south than birds hilv~ng a n egg ready to hatch or than birds in the brooding period, which appeared to travel more directly towards the Polar Front. As the breeding season progressed, the Polar Front moved further south, out of the range of the king penguins espcc~ally those with a newly hatched c h~c k that were limited in the amount of time that they could spend at sea. King penguins breeding a t Crozet may choose between 2 strategies, in w h~c h some blrds forage towards the SubAntarctic Front but most travel south towards the Polar Front.

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Use of seabirds to monitor sea-surface temperatures and to validate satellite remote-sensing measurements in the Southern Ocean

Cited by 35 publications

References 4 publications

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Pros and cons of using seabirds as ecological indicators

Foraging behaviour of satellite-tracked king penguins in relation to sea-surface temperatures obtained by satellite telemetry at Crozet Archipelago, a study during three austral summers

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