The Marine Foods of Birds in an Inland Fjord Region in West Spitsbergen: Part 2. Birds

Hartley, C. H.; Fisher, James

doi:10.2307/1041

Cited by 65 publications

(57 citation statements)

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“…This zone is considered as foraging hotspot for seabirds, seals and white whales (Lydersen et al 2014). This term and description was used for the first time by Hartley and Fisher (1936). However, only relatively small part of the Bbrown zone^is trophically attractive including areas where glacier river discharges and also the border of the fresh and marine waters.…”

Section: Foraging Community Structure and Habitat Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attractiveness of the glacier fronts to seabirds and marine mammals has been well known for a long time (Hartley and Fisher 1936;Węsławski and Legeżyńska 1998;Lydersen et al 2014). However, high concentrations of food at tidewater glacier bays is explained in different ways.…”

Section: Consequences Of Glacier Retreat For Seabirds and Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apollonio (1973) relates this to enhanced productivity through provision of nutrients from sub-glacial waters. Another explanation is that the freshwater entering the sea at the bottom of glacier causes an osmotic shock to the invertebrates and fish that subsequently are raised to the surface with the upwelling current, making them easily available to surface feeding birds (Hartley and Fisher 1936;Węsławski and Legeżyńska 1998). Recently, Lydersen et al (2014) regarded glacier rivers discharge responsible for formation of these foraging hot spots.…”

Section: Consequences Of Glacier Retreat For Seabirds and Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences

et al. 2016

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Climate-induced glacier retreat is considered in the context of its reducing the seaice contact zone used by marine birds and mammals as important foraging grounds and may cause declines in their numbers. To test this hypothesis, a survey was conducted in diversified habitats of a rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord in Svalbard. Of the fifteen seabird and four mammal species found, coastal surface-feeders prevailed over benthic-feeders and pelagic pursuit-divers. Deep tidewater glacier bays were used by the most numerous but least heterogeneous foraging community, in contrast to the shallow lagoons of coastlineterminating glaciers and deglaciated shorelines. After the 15 years of glaciers retreat documented in Hornsund, the sea-ice contact zone used by birds and mammals has not declined. On the contrary, the increasing freshwater supply from underwater glacial rivers raising zooplankton up to the surface, thus making it available to seabirds, enhances the attractiveness of tidewater glacier bays. Along with the stage of retreat, the importance of glacier bays as feeding grounds changes. Foraging conditions deteriorate when the glacier terminus reaches the coastline and the glacier bay becomes shallower. However, glacier retreat enlarges the area of littoral habitats accessible to benthophages. Glacier-related habitats situated close to colony are used as alternative/emergency feeding grounds by seabirds that normally forage outside the fjord. This is especially important during the chick-rearing period and also during bad weather conditions in the open sea. Our study demonstrates that, so far, the abundance and species diversity of seabirds foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Hornsund are both high, suggesting that they benefit from the current intensive glacier melt. However, with further climate change an apparent biodiversity paradox may occur. Here, overall biodiversity will increase but local diversity of pagophilic species will decline. Such nonlinear responses complicate the prediction of future polar ecosystem dynamics.

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Section: Foraging Community Structure and Habitat Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consequences Of Glacier Retreat For Seabirds and Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consequences Of Glacier Retreat For Seabirds and Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences

et al. 2016

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“…obs.). Similarly, Hartley and Fisher (1936) noted the presence of large concentrations of kittiwakes at glacier fronts in Spitsbergen. The reasons for the presence of large numbers of animals at glacier fronts are unknown.…”

Section: Black-legged Kittiwakementioning

confidence: 89%

“…Apollonio (1973) and Dunbar (1973) have found high levels of nutrients in waters in front of glaciers; these nutrients presumably promote phytoplankton production, which in turn results in a high level of production of crustaceans and other organisms used as foods by birds. The large concentrations of kittiwakes noted in Spitsbergen were feeding on crustaceans (Hartley and Fisher, 1936). Nettleship (1974) noted the presence of "a continuous dense band" of northern fulmars along Devon Island between Cape Sherard and Cape Warrender on 1-2 August 1972, but did not quantify the numbers of birds present.…”

Section: Black-legged Kittiwakementioning

confidence: 99%

Seabird Concentrations in Late Summer Along the Coasts of Devon and Ellesmere Islands, N.W.T.

McLaren¹,

Renaud²

1982

ARCTIC

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Capelin (Mallotus villosus) as an important food source for northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) breeding at Bjørnøya (Bear Island), Barents Sea

Cherel

Ridoux

Weimerskirch

et al. 2001

ICES Journal of Marine Science

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The Marine Foods of Birds in an Inland Fjord Region in West Spitsbergen: Part 2. Birds

Cited by 65 publications

References 0 publications

Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences

Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences

Seabird Concentrations in Late Summer Along the Coasts of Devon and Ellesmere Islands, N.W.T.

Capelin (Mallotus villosus) as an important food source for northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) breeding at Bjørnøya (Bear Island), Barents Sea

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