Dynamic fine-scale sea icescape shapes adult emperor penguin foraging habitat in east Antarctica

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Labrousse, Sara, Fraser, Alexander D., Sumner, Michael, Tamura, Takeshi, Pinaud, David, Wienecke, Barbara, Kirkwood, Roger, Ropert-Coudert, Yan, Reisinger, Ryan, Jonsen, Ian, Porter-Smith, Rick, Barbraud, Christophe, Bost, Charles André, Ji, Rubao, Jenouvrier, Stéphanie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: emperor penguin; fast ice; foraging ecology; iceberg; polynya; sea ice; East Antarctica; Antarc*; Antarctica; Emperor penguins; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/b0f450dc-f3de-461e-a3d5-854507fe4f1c; https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084347; https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/111943164/111572298.pdf; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074486196&partnerID=8YFLogxK

The emperor penguin, an iconic species threatened by projected sea ice loss in Antarctica, has long been considered to forage at the fast ice edge, presumably relying on large/yearly persistent polynyas as their main foraging habitat during the breeding season. Using newly developed fine-scale sea icescape data and historical penguin tracking data, this study for the first time suggests the importance of less recognized small openings, including cracks, flaw leads and ephemeral short-term polynyas, as foraging habitats for emperor penguins. The tracking data retrieved from 47 emperor penguins in two different colonies in East Antarctica suggest that those penguins spent 23% of their time in ephemeral polynyas and did not use the large/yearly persistent, well-studied polynyas, even if they occur much more regularly with predictable locations. These findings challenge our previous understanding of emperor penguin breeding habitats, highlighting the need for incorporating fine-scale seascape features when assessing the population persistence in a rapidly changing polar environment.