Seabirds During Arctic Polar Night: Underwater Observations from Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Ostaszewska, Kaja; Bałazy, Piotr; Berge, Jørgen; Johnsen, Geir; Staven, Robert

doi:10.1675/063.040.0301

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…For example, predicted suitable little auk breeding, foraging, and wintering habitats for the North Pacific are in agreement with the fact that individual little auks (typically less than five) are often observed on/near Saint Laurence Island in the Bering Sea 74 but also near Japan 75,76 or British Columbia 77 . Moreover, predicted current winter residency in Svalbard or South Greenland is also supported by observations of little auks off Spitsbergen during the polar night 34,35 . Finally, northwards shifts of suitable habitats predicted by our models are in agreement with others studies of marine top predators 78 and on their prey 79,80 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Concomitantly with shifting migratory routes and wintering areas, some arctic-breeding bird species may also become year-round residents. High latitudes and the associated polar night has long been thought to impose a major constraint upon such a strategy, yet a series of recent studies demonstrated that birds may cope surprisingly well with very low light levels 33–35 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change could overturn bird migration: Transarctic flights and high-latitude residency in a sea ice free Arctic

Clairbaux

Fort

Mathewson

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Climate models predict that by 2050 the Arctic Ocean will be sea ice free each summer. Removing this barrier between the Atlantic and the Pacific will modify a wide range of ecological processes, including bird migration. Using published information, we identified 29 arctic-breeding seabird species, which currently migrate in the North Atlantic and could shift to a transarctic migration towards the North Pacific. We also identified 24 arctic-breeding seabird species which may shift from a migratory strategy to high-arctic year-round residency. To illustrate the biogeographical consequences of such drastic migratory shifts, we performed an in-depth study of little auks (Alle alle), the most numerous artic seabird. Coupling species distribution models and climatic models, we assessed the adequacy of future wintering and breeding areas for transarctic migrants and high-arctic year-round residents. Further, we used a mechanistic bioenergetics model (Niche Mapper), to compare the energetic costs of current little auk migration in the North Atlantic with potential transarctic and high-arctic residency strategies. Surprisingly, our results indicate that transarctic little auk migration, from the North Atlantic towards the North Pacific, may only be half as costly, energetically, than high-arctic residency or migration to the North Atlantic. Our study illustrates how global warming may radically modify the biogeography of migratory species, and provides a general methodological framework linking migratory energetics and spatial ecology.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change could overturn bird migration: Transarctic flights and high-latitude residency in a sea ice free Arctic

Clairbaux

Fort

Mathewson

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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show abstract

“…Furthermore, we limited the complexity of RSF models, by only considering seabird energy requirements and relative prey abundances, omitting the roles of abiotic factors such as sea ice concentration or day length as well as biotic factors like competition, predation or costs of transport (linked with migratory distance from the breeding ground). Notably, day length may have an incidence on foraging times, although seabird have shown surprising abilities to cope with the polar night (Ostaszewska et al, 2017). Moreover, by modeling future distributions, we assume that the statistical link between seabird distributions, their energyscapes and prey fields will hold across time (Grémillet & Charmantier, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting Paris agreement objectives will temper seabird winter distribution shifts in the North Atlantic Ocean

Clairbaux

Cheung

Mathewson

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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We explored the implications of reaching the Paris Agreement Objective of limiting global warming to <2°C for the future winter distribution of the North Atlantic seabird community. We predicted and quantified current and future winter habitats of five North Atlantic Ocean seabird species (Alle alle, Fratercula arctica, Uria aalge, Uria lomvia and Rissa tridactyla) using tracking data for ~1500 individuals through resource selection functions based on mechanistic modeling of seabird energy requirements, and a dynamic bioclimate envelope model of seabird prey. Future winter distributions were predicted to shift with climate change, especially when global warming exceed 2°C under a “no mitigation” scenario, modifying seabird wintering hotspots in the North Atlantic Ocean. Our findings suggest that meeting Paris agreement objectives will limit changes in seabird selected habitat location and size in the North Atlantic Ocean during the 21st century. We thereby provide key information for the design of adaptive marine‐protected areas in a changing ocean.

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“…There are many potential sources of food in shallow marine systems, including carcasses of fish or birds. Both the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (Olsen et al, 2009;Renaud et al, 2012;Geoffroy and Priou, 2020), and some seabird species (Berge et al, 2015a;Ostaszewska et al, 2017) have recently shown increases in their relative abundances and spatial distribution in the Arctic polar night, due to rapid climatic warming.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shallow-Water Scavengers of Polar Night and Day – An Arctic Time-Lapse Photography Study

et al. 2021

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Until recently, polar night constituted truly a “mare incognitum” of our times. Yet, the first records from this very little-explored period showcased a surprisingly rich and active ecosystem. This investigation aims to reveal the level of scavenger activity during both Arctic polar night and day. It compares the shallow-water scavenging fauna observed during two contrasting seasons (winter vs. summer) in a high Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, 79° N, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago). In each of January and July 2015, two different bait types – Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and a bird carcass (chicken meat) were deployed at a depth of 12 m. Fauna were monitored remotely using time-lapse cameras equipped with bait traps, with photographs taken every 15 min over a period of 4 days. Thirty taxa were recorded at baits, dominated by lysianassid amphipods (Onisimus sp. 88%, Anonyx sp. 2%, but only during winter), and buccinid gastropods (B. undatum 5%, B. glaciale 1%, Buccinum sp. 3%, in both seasons). In most cases, buccinids were the first animals to appear at bait. The total number of recorded taxa, mean species richness per sampling unit, total abundance and associations among taxa were higher, on average, in winter than in summer deployments, while Pielou’s evenness index showed the opposite pattern. Scavenger assemblages differed significantly between the two seasons and also in response to the two different bait types, with seasonal effects being strongest. Contrary to expectations, bait consumption rates differed very little between the two seasons, being slow in general and only slightly faster in summer (0.05 g of cod bait consumed in 1 min) compared to winter (0.04 g min–1), yielding novel insights into ecological interactions and functions in shallow marine ecosystems during Arctic polar nights.

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Seabirds During Arctic Polar Night: Underwater Observations from Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Climate change could overturn bird migration: Transarctic flights and high-latitude residency in a sea ice free Arctic

Climate change could overturn bird migration: Transarctic flights and high-latitude residency in a sea ice free Arctic

Meeting Paris agreement objectives will temper seabird winter distribution shifts in the North Atlantic Ocean

Shallow-Water Scavengers of Polar Night and Day – An Arctic Time-Lapse Photography Study

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