Search results
(1 - 3 of 3)
- Title
- Spatial assessment of fin whale hotspots and their association with krill within an important Antarctic feeding and fishing ground
- Description
- Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) habitat use and its relationship to environmental conditions are generally unknown in the Southern Ocean, presenting challenges for predicting their seasonal occurrence and potential effects of fishing pressure and climate change on this endangered species. Using biological data collected during 14 shipboard surveys off the northern Antarctic Peninsula and oceanographic data from satellite remote sensing, we mapped the distribution of fin whale hotspots, Antarctic krill abundance (biomass from acoustics, concentrations from nets) and ocean conditions during mid- and late-summer to investigate the environmental determinants of whale hotspots. Generalized additive models (GAM) were used to test the hypothesis that intra-seasonal changes in fin whale hotspot distribution relate to sea surface temperature (SST), krill abundance and eddy kinetic energy (EKE). More whale hotspots (sightings and individuals) are observed during late- than mid-summer surveys. During mid-summer, hotspots occurred near Elephant Island while in late-summer they were distributed throughout the slope region in proximity to the mean location of the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front. The spatial mean of EKE did not differ between mid- and late-summer surveys, but the spatial mean of SST was significantly warmer during late-summer. The GAM for mid-summer indicates that fin whale hotspots were positively related to SST, EKE and acoustically determined krill biomass. The GAM for late-summer indicates the hotspots were negatively related to net-based krill abundance and positively related to acoustic krill biomass and EKE. This study is important because environmental determinants of fin whale hotspots may be used as reference points for implementing future conservation plans for their recovering populations. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
- Author
- Santora, Schroeder, Loeb
- Date
- 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Title
- Spatial assessment of fin whale hotspots and their association with krill within an important Antarctic feeding and fishing ground
- Description
- Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) habitat use and its relationship to environmental conditions are generally unknown in the Southern Ocean, presenting challenges for predicting their seasonal occurrence and potential effects of fishing pressure and climate change on this endangered species. Using biological data collected during 14 shipboard surveys off the northern Antarctic Peninsula and oceanographic data from satellite remote sensing, we mapped the distribution of fin whale hotspots, Antarctic krill abundance (biomass from acoustics, concentrations from nets) and ocean conditions during mid- and late-summer to investigate the environmental determinants of whale hotspots. Generalized additive models (GAM) were used to test the hypothesis that intra-seasonal changes in fin whale hotspot distribution relate to sea surface temperature (SST), krill abundance and eddy kinetic energy (EKE). More whale hotspots (sightings and individuals) are observed during late- than mid-summer surveys. During mid-summer, hotspots occurred near Elephant Island while in late-summer they were distributed throughout the slope region in proximity to the mean location of the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front. The spatial mean of EKE did not differ between mid- and late-summer surveys, but the spatial mean of SST was significantly warmer during late-summer. The GAM for mid-summer indicates that fin whale hotspots were positively related to SST, EKE and acoustically determined krill biomass. The GAM for late-summer indicates the hotspots were negatively related to net-based krill abundance and positively related to acoustic krill biomass and EKE. This study is important because environmental determinants of fin whale hotspots may be used as reference points for implementing future conservation plans for their recovering populations. © 2014, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg., Cited By :1, Export Date: 4 September 2015
- Author
- Santora, Schroeder, Loeb
- Date
- 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Title
- Krill space: A comparative assessment of mesoscale structuring in polar and temperate marine ecosystems
- Description
- The spatial organization, mesoscale variability, and habitat associations of krill within portions of the Antarctic Peninsula and California Current marine ecosystems are compared. Using a decade of acoustic observations and remotely sensed oceanography (20002009), the hypothesis that mesoscale spatial organization of krill in both systems closely relates to geospatial variability of the shelf break and is non-linearly related to geostrophic flow and positively related to chlorophyll a (Chl a) is tested. Directional-dependence analysis to measure spatial variability of krill is used along with spatially explicit generalized additive models to quantify and compare the spatial relationships among krill and habitat characteristics in both systems. The results suggest the following aspects of krill spatial organization: (i) areas of dense aggregation, i.e. hot spots, are present in both systems and are orientated in the direction of the shelf break, (ii) moderate levels of eddy kinetic energy seem to concentrate krill in favourable habitats and lessen the likelihood of advection away from the system, and (iii) variable responses to surface Chl a concentration suggest that real-time Chl a values may not be useful as a global predictor of important krill habitat. The results provide valuable reference points for marine spatial management of krill and for refining ecosystem and foodweb models., Cited By (since 1996):5, CODEN: ICESE
- Author
- Santora, Sydeman, Schroeder, Reiss, Wells, Field, Cossio, Loeb
- Date
- 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z