Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) in the Weddell Sea during DRE1998 campaign ...

• Main Authors: Nachtsheim, Dominik A, Jerosch, Kerstin, Hagen, Wilhelm, Plötz, Joachim, Bornemann, Horst
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2016
• Subjects: Marine Mammal Tracking MMT; Antarc*; Antarctic; Crabeater Seal; Crabeater Seals; Sea ice; Southern Ocean; Weddell Sea
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.854842; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.854842

The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) is the most abundant Antarctic seal and inhabits the circumpolar pack ice zone of the Southern Ocean. Until now, information on important environmental factors affecting its distribution as well as on foraging behaviour is limited. In austral summer 1998, 12 crabeater seals of both sexes and different age classes were equipped with satellitelinked dive recorders at Drescher Inlet (72.85°S, 19.26°E), eastern Weddell Sea. To identify suitable habitat conditions within the Weddell Sea, a maximum entropy (Maxent) modelling approach was implemented. The model revealed that the eastern and southern Weddell Sea is especially suitable for crabeater seals. Distance to the continental shelf break and sea ice concentration were the two most important parameters in modelling species distribution throughout the study period. Model predictions demonstrated that crabeater seals showed a dynamic response to their seasonally changing environment emphasized by the favoured sea ice ... : Supplement to: Nachtsheim, Dominik A; Jerosch, Kerstin; Hagen, Wilhelm; Plötz, Joachim; Bornemann, Horst (2016): Habitat modelling of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) in the Weddell Sea using the multivariate approach Maxent. Polar Biology, 40(5), 961-976 ...