Habitat associations of post-breeding female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Península Valdés, Argentina

McGovern, K.A.; Rodríguez, Diego H.; Lewis, Mirtha; Eder, Elena B.; Piola, Alberto R.; Davis, Randall W.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103789

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Based on the SESs path, speed, and swimming pattern, Campagna et al [14] suggested that the shelf area is mainly a transit zone and is not the preferred feeding ground of the SESs females of PV. This was recently confirmed by Mc-Govern et al [15]. Here we propose to use T and S data to characterize the oceanographic conditions along the trajectories of the SESs within the continental shelf, taking advantage of the fact that they crossed it very fast.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 53%

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Satellite and High-Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Collected by Southern Elephant Seals Allow an Unprecedented 3D View of the Argentine Continental Shelf

Martinez,

Ruiz-Etcheverry,

Saraceno

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

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High spatial and temporal resolution hydrographic data collected by Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina, SESs) and satellite remote sensing data allow a detailed oceanographic description of the Argentine Continental Shelf (ACS). In-situ data were obtained from the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth), accelerometer, and hydrophone sensors attached to five SESs that crossed the ACS between the 17th and 31st of October 2019. The analysis of the temperature (T) and salinity (S) along the trajectories allowed us to identify two different regions: north and south of 42°S. Satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data suggests that north of 42°S, warm waters are coming from the San Matias Gulf (SMG). The high spatio-temporal resolution of the in-situ data shows regions with intense gradients along the T and S sections that were associated with a seasonal front that develops north of Península Valdés in winter due to the entrance of cold and fresh water to the SMG. The speed of the SESs is correlated with tidal currents in the coastal portion of the northern region, which is in good agreement with the macrotidal regime observed. A large number of Prey Catch Attempts (PCA), a measure obtained from the accelerometer sensor, indicates that SESs also feed in this region, contradicting suggestions from previous works. The analysis of wind intensity estimated from acoustic sensors allowed us to rule out the local wind as the cause of fast thermocline breakups observed along the SESs trajectories. Finally, we show that the maximum depth reached by the elephant seals can be used to detect errors in the bathymetry charts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…While at sea, the spatial distribution of females and males is quite different [10]. Males forage mostly on the Patagonian shelf [11] and females mainly along the Patagonian shelf slope, shelf break, or Argentine Basin [12][13][14][15]. SESs females breed between late August and November and molt between December and January along ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite and High-Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Collected by Southern Elephant Seals Allow an Unprecedented 3D View of the Argentine Continental Shelf

Martinez,

Ruiz-Etcheverry,

Saraceno

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

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show abstract

“…Most of the records are located within the well-known foraging areas of southern elephant seals from the Península Valdés colony. These include the continental shelf, an area of less than 200 m in depth that extends 300-400 km east from the coast and is characterised by mixed coastal and stratified waters ( Campagna et al 2006 ), the shelf break, where the Malvinas Current carry cold sub-Antarctic waters north from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the encounter with low-salinity shelf water originates a shelf-break front associated with temperature and salinity gradients and increased primary productivity ( McGovern et al 2022 ), and the deep Argentine Basin (6000 m), where the warm-salty subtropical waters, carried southwards by the Brazil Current, meet the cold-fresh subpolar waters carried northwards by the Malvinas Current, producing the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, characterised by increased primary productivity, large temperature gradients and intense mesoscale eddy activity ( Campagna et al 2006 , McGovern et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Geographic Coveragementioning

confidence: 99%

Light and temperature records of the seawater associated with southern elephant seal dives during foraging trips in South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Eder¹,

Zárate²,

Lewis³

2023

BDJ

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The dataset comprises geolocalised records of dive and surface interval durations, light level and temperature of the seawater during the post-resting and post-moulting tracks of 13 immature southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina. It describes an unpublished open access version of the original data with records of light level and temperature of the water column using the Darwin Core standard (DwC) through ArOBIS, guaranteeing compliance with the FAIR principles, encompassing a wide time scale (2005, 2006 and 2007) and geographic range in the South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (South West [-58.75, -81.29], North East [-37.60, -28.65]). Seals were simultaneously equipped with affordable light–temperature loggers (LTLs) and satellite tags. The LTLs recorded light level and temperature of the water column at 30-s intervals during dives and light–time records were applied to estimate dive parameters of diurnal records from 06:00 to 17:00 h, since movements up and down the water column are reflected by changes in light level. For that, the minimum light level reached at the surface of a dive was determined experimentally with diurnal dive simulations at sea using the LTLs devices before deployment. The dataset also includes variation of light and temperature of records between 17:00 to 06:00 h. Data can be used to identify temperature changes associated with seawater masses as drivers of the distribution of other taxa of interest and variation of light level in the seawater (light attenuation) could be linked to concentrations of phytoplankton assemblages as an index of primary productivity. This dataset provides unpublished data of the duration of dives and surface intervals and associated records of light level and temperature variations along the movements throughout the seawater of 13 immature southern elephant seals in the Southern Hemisphere. The location data were generated by satellite tags and the light and temperature data were recorded with light-temperature loggers (LTLs), both devices deployed on individuals simultaneously and uploaded following the Darwin Core standard and compliance with the FAIR principles.

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Habitat associations of post-breeding female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Península Valdés, Argentina

Cited by 2 publications

References 68 publications

Satellite and High-Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Collected by Southern Elephant Seals Allow an Unprecedented 3D View of the Argentine Continental Shelf

Satellite and High-Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Collected by Southern Elephant Seals Allow an Unprecedented 3D View of the Argentine Continental Shelf

Light and temperature records of the seawater associated with southern elephant seal dives during foraging trips in South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

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