At surface behaviour at location on spot, dive depth profile, and water temperature and salinity data of Weddell seals from Filchner Trough in 2014 ...

• Main Authors: Nachtsheim, Dominik A, Ryan, Svenja, Schröder, Michael, Jensen, Laura, Oosthuizen, W Christiaan, Bester, Marthán Nieuwoudt, Hagen, Wilhelm, Bornemann, Horst
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2017
• Subjects: Marine Mammal Tracking MMT; Antarc*; Antarctic; Ice Shelf; Weddell Sea; Weddell Seals
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.871104; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.871104

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, ... : Supplement to: Nachtsheim, Dominik A; Ryan, Svenja; Schröder, Michael; Jensen, Laura; Oosthuizen, W Christiaan; Bester, Marthán Nieuwoudt; Hagen, Wilhelm; Bornemann, Horst (2019): Foraging behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in connection to oceanographic conditions in the southern Weddell Sea. Progress in Oceanography, 173, 165-179 ...