At surface behaviour at location on spot of southern elephant seals from Marion Island in 2004 with links to datasets

A novel classification system was applied to the sea level anomaly (SLA) environment around Marion Island. We classified the SLA seascape into habitat types and calculated percentage of habitat use of ten juvenile southern elephant seals (SES). Movements were compared to SLA and SLA slope values ind...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tosh, Cheryl Ann, de Bruyn, P J Nico, Steyn, Jumari, Bornemann, Horst, van den Hoff, John, Stewart, Brent S, Plötz, Joachim, Bester, Marthán Nieuwoudt
Format: Dataset
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2015
Subjects:
MAR2004
MAR2004_sel_u_f_05
MAR2004_sel_u_f_11
MAR2004_sel_u_m_09
MAR2004_sel_u_m_21
MAR2004_sel_y_f_04
MAR2004_sel_y_f_08
MAR2004_sel_y_f_12
MAR2004_sel_y_f_13
MAR2004_sel_y_m_14
Marine endotherm
Marine Mammal Tracking
Marion Island Research Station
MET
MMT
Southern Ocean - Indian sector
Antarctic
Southern Ocean
Indian
Antarc*
Elephant Seals
Marion Island
Southern Elephant Seals
Online Access:https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150015
https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.150015
Description
Summary:A novel classification system was applied to the sea level anomaly (SLA) environment around Marion Island. We classified the SLA seascape into habitat types and calculated percentage of habitat use of ten juvenile southern elephant seals (SES). Movements were compared to SLA and SLA slope values indicative of ocean eddy features. This classification provides a measure of habitat change due to seasonal fluctuations in SLA. Some of the seals made two migrations in different seasons, each of similar duration and proportions of potential foraging behaviour. The seals in this study did not use any intense eddy features, but their behaviours varied with SLA class. Potential foraging behaviour was positively influenced by negative SLA values (i.e. areas of below average sea surface height). Searching behaviour during the winter was more likely at eddy edges where high SLA slope values correlated with low SLA values. Though the seals did not forage within newly spawned eddies, they did forage near the sub-Antarctic front. Plankton and other biological resources transported by eddies formed at the subtropical convergence zone are evidently concentrated in this region and enhance the food chain there, forming a foraging ground for juvenile SES from Marion Island.

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