The Thick-billed Murre Population of the Thule District, Greenland

Kampp, Kaj

doi:10.14430/arctic1600

Cited by 18 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…West Greenland. The size of the Qaanaaq population, in the north, is much larger than the former estimates of 14 000 from 1987 (Kampp 1990). However, the original 1987 estimates were crude because these colonies were visited primarily for monitoring thick‐billed murres ( Uria lomvia ).…”

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confidence: 63%

Status of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) breeding population in Greenland, 2008

et al. 2010

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Based on the intensified survey efforts (since 2003) of Greenlandic breeding colonies of black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), the total Greenland breeding population was estimated at roughly 110 000 breeding pairs, constituting about 4% of the total North Atlantic breeding population. This population estimate of black-legged kittiwake is the most reliable and updated estimate hitherto reported for Greenland. The results confirm considerable population declines in many areas of West Greenland. The breeding population of blacklegged kittiwakes in the Qaanaaq area appears healthy, whereas the rest of the west coast has experienced declines, especially the north-western region (in the area from Upernavik to Kangaatsiaq). Exactly when these reductions have occurred is uncertain because of the limited survey effort in the past, but some colonies declined as far back as the mid-1900s, whereas declines of other colonies have occurred since the 1970-80s. East Greenland data from the past are few, but recent aerial surveys confirm that the abundance of breeding kittiwakes on this inaccessible coast is low. The reasons for the West Greenland declines are not documented. Poor feeding conditions and a high hunting pressure, particularly prior to 2002 when the open season was shortened considerably, are possible explanations.

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confidence: 63%

Status of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) breeding population in Greenland, 2008

et al. 2010

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“…1). Hakluyt Island contains about 26 000 pairs of murres nesting from about 25 to 400 m above sea level (asl), and Coburg Island supports approximately 160 000 pairs of murres, breeding from 5 to 200 m asl (Birkhead & Nettleship 1981, Kampp 1990.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging behaviour of thick-billed murres breeding in different sectors of the North Water polynya: an inter-colony comparison

Falk¹,

Benvenuti²,

Dall’Antonia³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The North Water polynya is an area of open water that occurs year round between northwest Greenland and Canada. Oceanographic conditions differ between the western ('latent heat' polynya type) and extreme eastern ('sensible heat' polynya type) sectors of the polynya, and the effects of this variation on prey availability and foraging conditions for high trophic-level predators are unknown. Thick-billed murres Uria lomvia breed on both sides of the polynya, and we conducted inter-colony comparisons of their foraging ecology. We measured time allocation and foraging efforts of chick-rearing adults using electronic data-loggers which recorded dive profiles and flight activity. Murres on the western side of the North Water polynya foraged at relatively shallow depths and rarely (4.4% of dives) explored depths beyond 70 m. In contrast, murres on the eastern side searched for prey at > 70 m in 23% of all dives, and spent a greater share of each trip actively diving. The Canadian birds made foraging trips of longer duration than the Greenland murres, but they also spent more time 'resting' at the sea surface. Rest time at sea was apparently the only time buffer available for increasing foraging effort. The Greenland birds had little room for increasing foraging effort, while the Canadian birds had spare capacity for additional work. Maximum potential foraging ranges were equal at the 2 colonies (75% within 50 km), and the murres had access to approximately equally-sized areas of open sea. We estimate that the density of foraging birds at sea within the 50 km of colonies would be 6.5 times higher on the Canadian side due to the large breeding colony at Coburg Island. Intra-specific competition for food should increase with increasing colony size because the predators may reduce food resources within their foraging range. Nevertheless, the Canadian birds worked less than Greenland murres, indicating a relatively good food availability in the western part of the polynya. However, the higher foraging effort by Greenland murres paid off in a higher chick growth rate, so it remains unclear why the Canadian birds did not also make use of their spare capacity to increase foraging effort. Since high-level zooplankton/fish stock interactions are seldom part of oceanographic studies in the Arctic, seabird foraging behaviour and breeding ecology serve as two of the few indicators of possible local variation within the polynya ecosystem.

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“…i Based on population estimate from Kampp (1990). j Based on field metabolic rate from Mehlum et al (1993).…”

Section: Estimation Of Energetic Demands Of Seabirds In the North Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of carbon flux to dovekies (Alle alle) in the North Water

Karnovsky

Hunt

2002

Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

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We modeled the energy demand of seabirds in the North Water, focusing on the planktivorous dovekie (Alle alle), the dominant species in the polynya. For the dovekie we provided an estimate of carbon flux that included aspects of spatial and temporal variability. We estimated the density, diet, and carbon consumption of dovekies throughout the polynya, from the time of their arrival in mid-May until they began to migrate south in September. Our model showed that this species is responsible for 92-96% of the energy demand and therefore carbon flux to seabirds. Dovekies consumed 73.7-147 Â 10 3 mt C yr À1 in the North Water. Average flux rates to dovekies in the polynya were 0.74 g C m À2 yr À1 , with a maximum estimated rate of 24 mg C m À2 d À1 in the eastern portion of the study area in May. However, when averaged over the entire polynya and period of occupancy, the proportion of pelagic primary production that went to dovekies was negligible (0.3-0.6%). Our observations of dovekie distribution, indicate that the major flux of carbon to seabirds occurred close inshore along the Greenland coast. There in May, carbon flux to dovekies was estimated to be 5-14% of the potential particulate export of phytoplankton. Our estimates of the spatial distribution of carbon flux to birds suggest the extraordinary importance of production along the west coast of Greenland. r

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The Thick-billed Murre Population of the Thule District, Greenland

Cited by 18 publications

References 5 publications

Status of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) breeding population in Greenland, 2008

Status of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) breeding population in Greenland, 2008

Foraging behaviour of thick-billed murres breeding in different sectors of the North Water polynya: an inter-colony comparison

Estimation of carbon flux to dovekies (Alle alle) in the North Water

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