Marine Ecology Progress Series
MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08749
copiedForaging distributions of little auks Alle alle across the Greenland Sea: implications of present and future Arctic climate change
- Nina Karnovsky
- Ann Harding
- Wojciech Walkusz
- Sławomir Kwaśniewski
- Ilona Goszczko
- Josef Wiktor Jr
- Heli Routti
- Allison Bailey
- Laurel McFadden
- Zachary Brown
- Grégory Beaugrand
- David Grémillet
ABSTRACT: The Arctic is undergoing widespread warming. In order to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic marine food webs, we studied the at-sea distribution of foraging little auks in contrasting conditions of the Greenland Sea. While the eastern side of the Greenland Sea has experienced recent warming, the western side is still dominated by cold, Arctic water in the East Greenland Current. We hypothesized that foraging little auks would be found in greatest abundance in cold Arctic waters bearing more lipid-rich prey, allowing them to deliver more energy-rich food to their chicks. To test our hypotheses, we made ship-borne bird observations and zooplankton tows, as well as analyses of chick meals at 2 little auk colonies adjacent to 3 distinct water masses in the Greenland Sea. Associated with the coldest water in the East Greenland Current, we found the highest concentrations of large Calanus copepods (C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus), as well as the highest concentrations of foraging little auks, indicating a relationship that is likely to be disrupted by increasing water temperatures. To assess potential future impacts of ocean warming, we used a coupled atmosphere–ocean global climate model (AOGCM) to predict Greenland Sea sea-surface temperatures over the study area at the end of the 21st century. Our results suggest that 4 of 8 little auk breeding colonies in the North Atlantic may be negatively impacted as temperatures exceed the thermal preferenda of large Calanus, which is the preferred prey of little auks during the breeding season.
KEYWORDS
Nina Karnovsky (Co-author)
- Department of Biology, Pomona College, 175 W 6th St., Claremont, California 91711, USA
Ann Harding (Co-author)
- Environmental Science Department, Alaska Pacific University, 4101 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
Wojciech Walkusz (Co-author)
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
Sławomir Kwaśniewski (Co-author)
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
Ilona Goszczko (Co-author)
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
Josef Wiktor Jr (Co-author)
- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
Heli Routti (Co-author)
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Allison Bailey (Co-author)
- Department of Biology, Pomona College, 175 W 6th St., Claremont, California 91711, USA
Laurel McFadden (Co-author)
- Department of Biology, Pomona College, 175 W 6th St., Claremont, California 91711, USA
Zachary Brown (Co-author)
- Department of Biology, Pomona College, 175 W 6th St., Claremont, California 91711, USA
Grégory Beaugrand (Co-author)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR CNRS 8187 LOG, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, Station Marine, 28 avenue Foch, 69360 Wimereux, France
David Grémillet (Co-author)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEFE, 1919 route de Mende, F 34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa