Responses of pelagic seabirds to environmental warming in Scotia Sea, Antarctica

Abstract

Southern Oceans are major components of the global climate system in which the slightest variation in temperature leads to unpredictable regional variations. Because of their sensitivity, seabirds may reflect these changes within a reproductive season, thus becoming an invaluable tool for detection and prediction of environmental perturbations. Monitoring of the marine ecosystem was carried out on board ships in the Scotia Sea, Antarctica, comparing four summer seasons: 1995, 1996, 2010, and 2011, the last two years under the influence of strong environmental fluctuations. The aim was to study abundance variations in six seabird species in the Scotia Sea, Antarctica, expecting that these may have been affected due to important variations in climatic parameters. Results showed a sharp decline in the abundance and changes in the geographic distributions of species in 2010 and 2011, coinciding with increases in air and sea surface temperatures. It is suggested that this might be due to seafood reduction and low availability caused by changes in water properties since krill-eater seabirds were the most affected.