Changes in seabird species abundance near South Georgia during a period of rapid change in sea surface temperature

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.L. Hunt ◽  
J. Priddle ◽  
M.J. Whitehouse ◽  
R.R. Veit ◽  
R.B. Heywood

During a three month research cruise near the island of South Georgia, sea surface temperature (SST) increased from c. 2°C to over 4°C. Satellite derived SST show that this corresponded to a rapid southward and eastward shift of isotherms in the northern Scotia Sea, which could have resulted from changes in the wind field. At the same time, observation from the ship of seabirds close to the island indicated changes in the abundance of some non-resident species, whereas resident breeders from South Georgia, such as black-browed albatrosses (Diomedea melanophris) and prions (Pachyptila spp.) which were foraging locally, were present at consistent density in both halves of the survey. Blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) left the area after breeding, so were associated only with the low water temperatures during the first part of the cruise. In contrast, great shearwaters (Puffinus gravis) and soft-plumaged petrels (Pterodroma mollis) migrated into the area later in the survey. These birds were almost certainly non-breeders which were feeding in the warmer water which had moved towards the island.

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2530-2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simeon L Hill ◽  
Keith Reid ◽  
Anthony W North

The South Georgia population of mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) is exploited by both a fishery and predators, including gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua). Because considerable uncertainty surrounds recent estimates of stock size, there is a need to consider novel approaches that may give insight into the population dynamics of this species. We derive two indices of recruitment based on the occurrence of mackerel icefish in gentoo penguin diets, one of which is scaled by a survey estimate of the density of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), an alternative prey species for gentoo penguins. The closure of the fishery for much of the 1990s allowed the relationship between environmental conditions and recruitment to be studied without the confounding effects of fishing mortality. The recruitment indices were positively correlated with sea surface temperature with a lag time equal to the age of the fish. These results suggest strong links between mesoscale environmental processes and the smaller scale interaction between gentoo penguins and their mackerel icefish prey.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Lougheed ◽  
Brett Metcalfe

Abstract. We use a single foraminifera enabled, holistic hydroclimate-to-sediment transient modelling approach to fundamentally evaluate the efficacy of discrete-depth individual foraminifera analysis (IFA) for reconstructing past sea surface temperature (SST) variability from deep-sea sediment archives, a method that has been used for, amongst other applications, reconstructing El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The computer model environment allows us to strictly control for variables such as sea surface temperature (SST), foraminifera species abundance response to SST, as well as depositional processes such as sediment accumulation rate (SAR) and bioturbation depth (BD), and subsequent laboratory processes such as sample size and machine error. Examining a number of best-case scenarios, we find that IFA-derived reconstructions of past SST variability are sensitive to all of the aforementioned variables. Running 100 ensembles for each scenario, we find that the influence of bioturbation upon IFA-derived SST reconstructions, combined with typical samples sizes employed in the field, produces noisy SST reconstructions with poor correlation to the original SST distribution in the water. This noise is especially apparent for values near the edge of the SST distribution, which is the distribution region of particular interest for, e.g., ENSO. The noise is further increased in the case of increasing machine error, decreasing SAR and decreasing sample size. We also find poor agreement between ensembles, underscoring the need for replication studies in the field to confirm findings at particular sites and time periods. Furthermore, we show that a species’ abundance response to SST could in theory bias IFA-derived SST reconstructions, which can have consequences when comparing IFA-derived SST from markedly different mean climate states. We provide a number of idealised simulations spanning a number of SAR, sample size, machine error and species abundance scenarios, which can help assist researchers in the field to determine under which conditions they could expect to retrieve significant results.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. e9-e14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroto Kajita ◽  
Atsuko Yamazaki ◽  
Takaaki Watanabe ◽  
Chung-Che Wu ◽  
Chuan-Chou Shen ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 929
Author(s):  
Marianus Filipe Logo ◽  
N M. R. R. Cahya Perbani ◽  
Bayu Priyono

Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) merupakan penghasil rumput laut kappaphycus alvarezii kedua terbesar di Indonesia berdasarkan data Badan Pusat Statistik (2016). Oleh karena itu diperlukan zonasi daerah potensial budidaya rumput laut kappaphycus alvarezii untuk pengembangan lebih lanjut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan daerah yang potensial untuk budidaya rumput laut kappaphycus alvarezii di Provinsi NTT berdasarkan parameter sea surface temperature (SST), salinitas, kedalaman, arus, dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrat, fosfat, klorofil-a, dan muara sungai. Penentuan kesesuaian lokasi budidaya dilakukan dengan memberikan bobot dan skor bagi setiap parameter untuk budidaya rumput laut kappaphycus alvarezii menggunakan sistem informasi geografis melalui overlay peta tematik setiap parameter. Dari penelitian ini diperoleh bahwa kadar nitrat, arus, kedalaman, dan lokasi muara sungai menjadi parameter penentu utama. Jarak maksimum dari bibir pantai adalah sekitar 10 km. Potensial budidaya rumput laut kappaphycus alvarezii ditemukan di Pulau Flores bagian barat, kepulauan di Kabupaten Flores Timur dan Alor, selatan Pulau Sumba, Pulau Rote, dan Teluk Kupang.


Author(s):  
Diaz Juan Navia ◽  
Diaz Juan Navia ◽  
Bolaños Nancy Villegas ◽  
Bolaños Nancy Villegas ◽  
Igor Malikov ◽  
...  

Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTA), in four coastal hydrographic stations of Colombian Pacific Ocean, were analyzed. The selected hydrographic stations were: Tumaco (1°48'N-78°45'W), Gorgona island (2°58'N-78°11'W), Solano Bay (6°13'N-77°24'W) and Malpelo island (4°0'N-81°36'W). SSTA time series for 1960-2015 were calculated from monthly Sea Surface Temperature obtained from International Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). SSTA time series, Oceanic Nino Index (ONI), Pacific Decadal Oscillation index (PDO), Arctic Oscillation index (AO) and sunspots number (associated to solar activity), were compared. It was found that the SSTA absolute minimum has occurred in Tumaco (-3.93°C) in March 2009, in Gorgona (-3.71°C) in October 2007, in Solano Bay (-4.23°C) in April 2014 and Malpelo (-4.21°C) in December 2005. The SSTA absolute maximum was observed in Tumaco (3.45°C) in January 2002, in Gorgona (5.01°C) in July 1978, in Solano Bay (5.27°C) in March 1998 and Malpelo (3.64°C) in July 2015. A high correlation between SST and ONI in large part of study period, followed by a good correlation with PDO, was identified. The AO and SSTA have showed an inverse relationship in some periods. Solar Cycle has showed to be a modulator of behavior of SSTA in the selected stations. It was determined that extreme values of SST are related to the analyzed large scale oscillations.


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