Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea
The region of the Filchner Outflow System (FOS) in the southeastern Weddell Sea is characterized by intensive and complex interactions of different water masses. Dense Ice Shelf Water (ISW) emerging from beneath the ice shelf cavities on the continental shelf, meets Modified Warm Deep Water (MWDW) o...
Published in: | Progress in Oceanography |
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Elsevier
2019
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Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/1/Nachtsheim-etal_2019_postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.ddf6dfe4-baa9-4489-89d0-a8093e493cae |
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ftawi:oai:epic.awi.de:49185 2024-09-15T17:42:39+00:00 Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea Nachtsheim, Dominik A. Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Jensen, Laura Chris Oosthuizen, W. Bester, Marthán N. Hagen, Wilhelm Bornemann, Horst 2019-02-28 application/pdf https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/1/Nachtsheim-etal_2019_postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.ddf6dfe4-baa9-4489-89d0-a8093e493cae unknown Elsevier https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/1/Nachtsheim-etal_2019_postprint.pdf Nachtsheim, D. A. , Ryan, S. orcid:0000-0001-9427-2127 , Schröder, M. , Jensen, L. , Chris Oosthuizen, W. , Bester, M. N. , Hagen, W. and Bornemann, H. (2019) Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea , Progress in Oceanography, 173 , pp. 165-179 . doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013> , hdl:10013/epic.ddf6dfe4-baa9-4489-89d0-a8093e493cae EPIC3Progress in Oceanography, Elsevier, 173, pp. 165-179, ISSN: 00796611 Article isiRev 2019 ftawi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 2024-06-24T04:22:11Z The region of the Filchner Outflow System (FOS) in the southeastern Weddell Sea is characterized by intensive and complex interactions of different water masses. Dense Ice Shelf Water (ISW) emerging from beneath the ice shelf cavities on the continental shelf, meets Modified Warm Deep Water (MWDW) originating from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current at the sill of the Filchner Trough. These hydrographic features convert the FOS into an oceanographic key region, which may also show enhanced biological productivity and corresponding aggregations of marine top predators. In this context, six adult Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were instrumented with CTD-combined satellite relay data loggers in austral summer 2014. By means of these long-term data loggers we aimed at investigating the influence of environmental conditions on the seals’ foraging behaviour throughout seasons, focussing on the local oceanographic features. Weddell seals performed pelagic and demersal dives, mainly on the continental shelf, where they presumably exploited the abundant bentho-pelagic fish fauna. Diurnal and seasonal variations in light availability affected foraging activities. MWDW was associated with increased foraging effort. However, we observed differences in movements and habitat use between two different groups of Weddell seals. Seals tagged in the pack ice of the FOS focussed their foraging activities to the western and, partly, eastern flank of the Filchner Trough, which coincides with inflow pathways of MWDW. In contrast, Weddell seals tagged on the coastal fast ice exhibited typical central-place foraging and utilized resources close to their colony. High foraging effort in MWDW and high utilization of areas associated with an inflow of MWDW raise questions on the underlying biological features. This emphasizes the importance of further interdisciplinary ecological investigations in the near future, as the FOS may soon be impacted by predicted climatic changes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Weddell Sea Weddell Seals Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) Progress in Oceanography 173 165 179 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) |
op_collection_id |
ftawi |
language |
unknown |
description |
The region of the Filchner Outflow System (FOS) in the southeastern Weddell Sea is characterized by intensive and complex interactions of different water masses. Dense Ice Shelf Water (ISW) emerging from beneath the ice shelf cavities on the continental shelf, meets Modified Warm Deep Water (MWDW) originating from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current at the sill of the Filchner Trough. These hydrographic features convert the FOS into an oceanographic key region, which may also show enhanced biological productivity and corresponding aggregations of marine top predators. In this context, six adult Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were instrumented with CTD-combined satellite relay data loggers in austral summer 2014. By means of these long-term data loggers we aimed at investigating the influence of environmental conditions on the seals’ foraging behaviour throughout seasons, focussing on the local oceanographic features. Weddell seals performed pelagic and demersal dives, mainly on the continental shelf, where they presumably exploited the abundant bentho-pelagic fish fauna. Diurnal and seasonal variations in light availability affected foraging activities. MWDW was associated with increased foraging effort. However, we observed differences in movements and habitat use between two different groups of Weddell seals. Seals tagged in the pack ice of the FOS focussed their foraging activities to the western and, partly, eastern flank of the Filchner Trough, which coincides with inflow pathways of MWDW. In contrast, Weddell seals tagged on the coastal fast ice exhibited typical central-place foraging and utilized resources close to their colony. High foraging effort in MWDW and high utilization of areas associated with an inflow of MWDW raise questions on the underlying biological features. This emphasizes the importance of further interdisciplinary ecological investigations in the near future, as the FOS may soon be impacted by predicted climatic changes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nachtsheim, Dominik A. Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Jensen, Laura Chris Oosthuizen, W. Bester, Marthán N. Hagen, Wilhelm Bornemann, Horst |
spellingShingle |
Nachtsheim, Dominik A. Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Jensen, Laura Chris Oosthuizen, W. Bester, Marthán N. Hagen, Wilhelm Bornemann, Horst Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
author_facet |
Nachtsheim, Dominik A. Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Jensen, Laura Chris Oosthuizen, W. Bester, Marthán N. Hagen, Wilhelm Bornemann, Horst |
author_sort |
Nachtsheim, Dominik A. |
title |
Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
title_short |
Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
title_full |
Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
title_fullStr |
Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea |
title_sort |
foraging behaviour of weddell seals (leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern weddell sea |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/1/Nachtsheim-etal_2019_postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.ddf6dfe4-baa9-4489-89d0-a8093e493cae |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Weddell Sea Weddell Seals |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Weddell Sea Weddell Seals |
op_source |
EPIC3Progress in Oceanography, Elsevier, 173, pp. 165-179, ISSN: 00796611 |
op_relation |
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/49185/1/Nachtsheim-etal_2019_postprint.pdf Nachtsheim, D. A. , Ryan, S. orcid:0000-0001-9427-2127 , Schröder, M. , Jensen, L. , Chris Oosthuizen, W. , Bester, M. N. , Hagen, W. and Bornemann, H. (2019) Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea , Progress in Oceanography, 173 , pp. 165-179 . doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013> , hdl:10013/epic.ddf6dfe4-baa9-4489-89d0-a8093e493cae |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.02.013 |
container_title |
Progress in Oceanography |
container_volume |
173 |
container_start_page |
165 |
op_container_end_page |
179 |
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1810489297629872128 |