Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
We identified natural pits associated with avian mortality at the base of Kiska Volcano in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 2007. Living, moribund, and dead birds were regularly found at low spots in a canyon between two lava flows during 2001-2006, but the phenomenon was attributed to natura...
Published in: | The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |
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2012
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ftuhipublicatio:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/cff1b721-66af-4bf4-9682-03cd4c30b89f 2024-06-23T07:57:28+00:00 Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Bond, Alexander L. Evans, William C. Jones, Ian L. 2012-03-01 https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/cff1b721-66af-4bf4-9682-03cd4c30b89f https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858116041&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84858116041&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/cff1b721-66af-4bf4-9682-03cd4c30b89f info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Bond , A L , Evans , W C & Jones , I L 2012 , ' Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska ' , Wilson Journal of Ornithology , vol. 124 , no. 1 , pp. 146-151 . https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 article 2012 ftuhipublicatio https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 2024-05-27T23:56:27Z We identified natural pits associated with avian mortality at the base of Kiska Volcano in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 2007. Living, moribund, and dead birds were regularly found at low spots in a canyon between two lava flows during 2001-2006, but the phenomenon was attributed to natural trapping and starvation of fledgling seabirds (mostly Least Auklets, Aethia pusilla) at a colony site with >1 million birds present. However, 302 birds of eight species, including passerines, were found dead at the site during 2007-2010, suggesting additional factors were involved. Most carcasses showed no signs of injury and concentrations of dead birds had accumulated in a few distinctive low pits in the canyon. Gas samples from these locations showed elevated CO 2 concentrations in late 2010. Analysis of carcasses indicated no evidence of blunt trauma or internal bleeding. Volcanic gases accumulating at these poorly ventilated sites may have caused the observed mortality, but are temporally variable. Most auklets breeding in the Aleutian Islands do so in recent lava flows that provide breeding habitat; our study documents a cost of this unusual habitat selection. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alaska Aleutian Islands University of the Highlands and Islands: Research Database of UHI Kiska ENVELOPE(155.830,155.830,50.258,50.258) Kiska Island ENVELOPE(177.460,177.460,51.964,51.964) Kiska Volcano ENVELOPE(177.603,177.603,52.103,52.103) The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124 1 146 151 |
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Open Polar |
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University of the Highlands and Islands: Research Database of UHI |
op_collection_id |
ftuhipublicatio |
language |
English |
description |
We identified natural pits associated with avian mortality at the base of Kiska Volcano in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 2007. Living, moribund, and dead birds were regularly found at low spots in a canyon between two lava flows during 2001-2006, but the phenomenon was attributed to natural trapping and starvation of fledgling seabirds (mostly Least Auklets, Aethia pusilla) at a colony site with >1 million birds present. However, 302 birds of eight species, including passerines, were found dead at the site during 2007-2010, suggesting additional factors were involved. Most carcasses showed no signs of injury and concentrations of dead birds had accumulated in a few distinctive low pits in the canyon. Gas samples from these locations showed elevated CO 2 concentrations in late 2010. Analysis of carcasses indicated no evidence of blunt trauma or internal bleeding. Volcanic gases accumulating at these poorly ventilated sites may have caused the observed mortality, but are temporally variable. Most auklets breeding in the Aleutian Islands do so in recent lava flows that provide breeding habitat; our study documents a cost of this unusual habitat selection. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bond, Alexander L. Evans, William C. Jones, Ian L. |
spellingShingle |
Bond, Alexander L. Evans, William C. Jones, Ian L. Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
author_facet |
Bond, Alexander L. Evans, William C. Jones, Ian L. |
author_sort |
Bond, Alexander L. |
title |
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
title_short |
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
title_full |
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
title_sort |
avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at kiska island, aleutian islands, alaska |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/cff1b721-66af-4bf4-9682-03cd4c30b89f https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858116041&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84858116041&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(155.830,155.830,50.258,50.258) ENVELOPE(177.460,177.460,51.964,51.964) ENVELOPE(177.603,177.603,52.103,52.103) |
geographic |
Kiska Kiska Island Kiska Volcano |
geographic_facet |
Kiska Kiska Island Kiska Volcano |
genre |
Alaska Aleutian Islands |
genre_facet |
Alaska Aleutian Islands |
op_source |
Bond , A L , Evans , W C & Jones , I L 2012 , ' Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska ' , Wilson Journal of Ornithology , vol. 124 , no. 1 , pp. 146-151 . https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 |
op_relation |
https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/cff1b721-66af-4bf4-9682-03cd4c30b89f |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1676/11-062.1 |
container_title |
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |
container_volume |
124 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
146 |
op_container_end_page |
151 |
_version_ |
1802651129882869760 |