Seabird Breeding Colonies in East and North Greenland: A Baseline

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Boertmann, David, Merkel, Flemming, Gilg, Olivier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2020
• Subjects: colonial seabirds; distribution; Greenland; climate change; oiseaux marins coloniaux; Groenland; changements climatiques; Arctic; banquise; North Greenland; Sea ice; Somateria mollissima; Xema sabini
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/69885

This paper presents the results of a number of aircraft- and boat-based surveys for seabird breeding colonies inEast and North Greenland carried out in the period 2003 to 2018 and gives the first comprehensive overview of the distribution and size of the seabird breeding colonies in this remote and mainly uninhabited region. Seventeen seabird species breed in approximately 800 sites distributed very unevenly along the coasts, with high concentrations at the polynyas and long stretches with very few breeding seabirds. Climate changes are in full progress in East and North Greenland, especially affecting the sea ice regime, and seabirds are expected to respond to these changes in different ways. For example, since the 1980s, Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) have extended their breeding range more than two latitudinal degrees towards the north, now reaching the northernmost land on Earth. Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) and Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) have immigrated, and Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) have increased and extended their range. Besides presenting survey results, this report may also serve as a baseline for future studies of the abundance of breeding seabirds in East and NorthGreenland. Cet article présente les résultats de comptages de colonies d’oiseaux marins nicheurs menés en bateau et en aviondans l’est et le nord du Groenland entre 2003 et 2018. Il s’agit de la première synthèse globale consacrée à la distribution et à la taille des colonies de reproduction d’oiseaux marins pour cette région reculée et principalement inhabitée. Dix-sept espèces d’oiseaux marins se reproduisent sur environ 800 sites répartis de façon très irrégulière le long des côtes, avec de fortes concentrations aux alentours des polynies, mais aussi de grandes régions avec très peu d’oiseaux marins nicheurs. Les changements climatiques sont déjà très perceptibles dans l’est et le nord du Groenland. Ils y impactent fortement le régime de la banquise et on s’attend à ce que les oiseaux marins y répondent ...