New ANTSIE publication: use of sea ice foraging habitats by albatrosses and large petrels

New research by the ANTSIE team has used satellite tracking of seven albatross and large petrel species from South Georgia to understand their potential use of the Antarctic sea ice zone. Led by Dr Ewan Wakefield and including several of the ANTSIE team*, the results show that despite the huge travel distances involved, some of the seabirds feed when sea ice is present, whereas others travel to feed in the nutrient enriched waters left behind when the sea ice melts in summer.

The findings suggest that Antarctica’s shrinking sea ice could force seabirds to travel further from their breeding grounds to find food or it could alter the patterns of where that food can be found.

The work has been published in the journal Progress in Oceanography, and summarised on the Durham University webpages. The work was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, with additional support from the ERC and British Antarctic Survey.

Wakefield*, E.D., McClymont*, E.L., Carneiro, A.P.B, Croxall, J.P., González-Solís, J., Granroth-Wilding, H.M.V, Thorne, L., Warwick-Evans, V., Wood, A.G., Xavier, J.C., Phillips*, R.A. (2024) Seasonal resource tracking and use of sea-ice foraging habitats by albatrosses and large petrels. Progress in Oceanography, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103334