Last Millennium Adélie Penguin Mortality and Colony Abandonment Events on Long Peninsula, East Antarctica

Yang, Liwei; Xie, Zhouqing; Emmerson, Louise; Southwell, Colin; Wang, Yuhong; Sun, Liguang

doi:10.1029/2018jg004550

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 80 publications

(112 reference statements)

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“…Notably, Gao et al (2018) also reported a phase of rapid deposition with increased sedimentary P concentrations, as well as mummified Adélie penguin carcasses dated to ~200 year BP, on Long Peninsula, East Antarctica, which was attributed to a period of anomalously intense precipitation. It is likely that such events are widespread around East Antarctica.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snow meltwater streams and rain can affect the survival success and eventually the penguin population (Chapman et al, 2011). Chicks die from hypothermia during extreme weather events (Gao et al, 2018; Ropert‐Coudert et al, 2015). Such streams affect the penguin subcolonies via the destruction of nests and the reduced rate hatching of eggs and survival of chicks.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Penguin‐derived elements including P are transported from marine to terrestrial system by penguin foraging and enter the sediment in the form of guano (Sands et al, 1998; Yang et al, 2019). Eventually, P is interpreted as reflecting the amount of guano input and thus the size of the penguin population (Gao et al, 2018; Huang et al, 2014, 2016; Sun et al, 2000).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spatiotemporal variations of the population of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adelie) are controlled by changing oceanographic and climatic conditions (Croxall et al, 2002;Forcada et al, 2006;Gao et al, 2018;Roberts et al, 2017;Wilson et al, 2001;Yang et al, 2018Yang et al, , 2019. Sea ice (pack ice, fast ice) is one of the most important factors influencing the migration, colonization, and foraging success of penguins (Ainley et al, 2005(Ainley et al, , 2010Ballard et al, 2010Ballard et al, , 2019Emslie et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abandonment of Penguin Subcolonies in the Late Nineteenth Century on Inexpressible Island, Antarctica

Yang

et al. 2020

JGR Biogeosciences

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The impact of climate and weather on penguin ecology has attracted much research attention. To reconstruct the history of the penguin population, penguin carcasses on the surface and three ornithogenic sediment profiles were collected in a ditch area beneath abandoned penguin subcolonies on a high terrace to the northwest of the modern colony in Seaview Bay, on Inexpressible Island, East Antarctica. A rapid increase in penguin-derived element contents in the sediment profiles at~1700 Common Era (CE) indicates an increase in the penguin population of research area at the end of the Little Ice Age. However, surficial carcasses, geochemical characteristics of the sediment profiles, and field evidence indicate the subsequent abandonment of these penguin subcolonies. A period of intensified streamflow activity resulting from meltwater is a possible explanation for the colony abandonment. The dating results of the carcasses and sediment profiles constrain this event to around the late nineteenth century. The meltwater streams can be attributed to the interaction between enhanced moist air mass transport to the coastline of Victoria Land, rising temperatures, and the sloping topography. Comparisons with other regional records suggest that this type of event is common across East Antarctica and has significant impacts on penguin ecology.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Abandonment of Penguin Subcolonies in the Late Nineteenth Century on Inexpressible Island, Antarctica

Yang

et al. 2020

JGR Biogeosciences

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“…The ability to discern intrusions of warm, moist air under a common AR framework opens up possibilities to study AR impacts on elds outside of the geosciences. For instance, there might be a link between ARs and penguin colony collapse as penguin colonies are highly sensitive to heavy, warm precipitation events (Gao et al [2018]). Rainfall can kill Adélie penguin chicks via hypothermia if they get wet since they lack waterproof plumage whereas heavy snowfall can bury eggs leading to penguin nest failure (Boersma and Rebstock [2014]; Ainley et al [2010]; Cimino et al [2014].…”

Section: Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic Atmospheric River Climatology and Impacts

Wille

2020

Preprint

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Atmospheric rivers, broadly defined as narrow yet long bands of strong horizontal vapor transport typically imbedded in a low level jet ahead of a cold front of an extratropical cyclone, provide a sub-tropical connection to the Antarctic continent and are observed to significantly impact the affected region&#8217;s surface mass balance over short, extreme events. When an atmospheric river makes landfall on the Antarctic continent, their signature is clearly observed in increased downward longwave radiation, cloud liquid water content, surface temperature, snowfall, surface melt, and moisture transport.Using an atmospheric river detection algorithm designed for Antarctica and regional climate simulations from MAR, we created a climatology of atmospheric river occurrence and their associated impacts on surface melt and snowfall. Despite their rarity of occurrence over Antarctica (maximum frequency of ~1.5% over a given point), they have produced significant impacts on melting and snowfall processes. From 1979-2017, atmospheric rivers landfalls and their associated radiative flux anomalies and foehn winds accounted for around 40% of the total summer surface melt on the Ross Ice Shelf (approaching 100% at higher elevations in Marie Byrd Land) and 40-80% of total winter surface melt on the ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula. On the other side of the continent in East Antarctica, atmospheric rivers have a greater influence on annual snowfall variability. There atmospheric rivers are responsible for 20-40% of annual snowfall with localized higher percentages across Dronning Maud Land, Amery Ice Shelf, and Wilkes Land.Atmospheric river landfalls occur within a highly amplified polar jet pattern and often are found in the entrance region of a blocking ridge. Therefore, atmospheric river variability is connected with atmospheric blocking variability over the Southern Ocean. There has been a significant increase in atmospheric river activity over the Amundsen-Bellingshausen sea and coastline and into Dronning Maud Land region from 1980-2018. Meanwhile, there is a significant decreasing trend in the region surrounding Law Dome. Our results suggest that atmospheric rivers play a significant role in the Antarctic surface mass balance, and that any future changes in atmospheric blocking or tropical-polar teleconnections may have significant impacts on future surface mass balance projections.

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Delay in Adélie penguin nest occupation restricts parental investment in nest construction and reduces reproductive output

McLatchie,

Emmerson,

Wotherspoon

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Reproductive success is an important demographic parameter that can be driven by environmental and behavioural factors operating on various spatio‐temporal scales. As seabirds breed on land and forage in the ocean, processes occurring in both environments can influence their reproductive success. At various locations around East Antarctica, Adélie penguins' (Pygoscelis adeliae) reproductive success has been negatively linked to extensive sea‐ice. In contrast, our study site in the Windmill Islands has limited fast ice present during the breeding season, allowing us to examine drivers of reproductive success under vastly different marine environmental conditions. Here, we examined the reproductive success of 450 Adélie penguin nests over a 10‐year period using images obtained from remotely operated cameras. We analysed nest survival in relation to marine and climatic factors, environmental conditions at the camera site and immediately around the nest, and behavioural attributes reflecting parental investment and phenological timing. Our key result was a strong positive association between nest structure and chick survival, particularly when ground moisture and snow cover around the nest were high. Earlier nesting birds were more likely to build bigger nests, although it is unclear whether this is due to more time available to build nests or whether early arrival and high‐quality nests are complementary traits. This intrinsic activity is likely to become more important if future predictions of increased snowfall in this region manifest.

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Last Millennium Adélie Penguin Mortality and Colony Abandonment Events on Long Peninsula, East Antarctica

Cited by 6 publications

References 80 publications

Abandonment of Penguin Subcolonies in the Late Nineteenth Century on Inexpressible Island, Antarctica

Abandonment of Penguin Subcolonies in the Late Nineteenth Century on Inexpressible Island, Antarctica

Antarctic Atmospheric River Climatology and Impacts

Delay in Adélie penguin nest occupation restricts parental investment in nest construction and reduces reproductive output

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