Water temperature data from southern elephant seal from Marion Island with links to datasets ...

• Main Authors: Massie, Philip P, McIntyre, Trevor, Ryan, Peter G, Bester, Marthán Nieuwoudt, Bornemann, Horst, Ansorge, Isabelle J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2015
• Subjects: Marine endotherm; MAR2007; MAR2008; MAR2009; MAR2010; Marion Island Research Station; Marine Mammal Tracking MMT; Antarc*; Antarctic; Elephant Seal; Elephant Seals; Marion Island; Southern Elephant Seal; Southern Elephant Seals
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.150014; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150014

As the Antarctic Circumpolar Current crosses the South-West Indian Ocean Ridge, it creates an extensive eddy field characterised by high sea level anomaly variability. We investigated the diving behaviour of female southern elephant seals from Marion Island during their post-moult migrations in relation to this eddy field in order to determine its role in the animals' at-sea dispersal. Most seals dived within the region significantly more often than predicted by chance, and these dives were generally shallower and shorter than dives outside the eddy field. Mixed effects models estimated reductions of 44.33 ± 3.00 m (maximum depth) and 6.37 ± 0.10 min (dive duration) as a result of diving within the region, along with low between-seal variability (maximum depth: 5.5 % and dive duration: 8.4 %). U-shaped dives increased in frequency inside the eddy field, whereas W-shaped dives with multiple vertical movements decreased. Results suggest that Marion Island's adult female elephant seals' dives are characterised ... : See "Related to:" for further dataset used by this publications. ...