Environmental change and Antarctic seabird populations

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Croxall, J.P., Trathan, P.N., Murphy, E.J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science 2002
• Subjects: Marine Sciences; Meteorology and Climatology; Zoology; Biology and Microbiology; Ecology and Environment; Antarctic; Antarc*; Emperor penguins; Sea ice; Snow Petrels
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13256/; http://www.sciencemag.org/content/297/5586/1510.full

Recent changes in Antarctic seabird populations may reflect direct and indirect responses to regional climate change. The best long-term data for high-latitude Antarctic seabirds (Adelie and Emperor penguins and snow petrels) indicate that winter sea-ice has a profound influence. However, some effects are inconsistent between species and areas, some in opposite directions at different stages of breeding and life cycles, and others remain paradoxical. The combination of recent harvest driven changes and those caused by global warming may produce rapid shifts rather than gradual changes.