Predator research survey and monitoring in support of CCAMLR's management of the krill fishery
Entry ID: ASAC_2722

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Summary
Abstract: The HEED (Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions of) Global Change
Program, a 3-year effort funded by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's Office of Global Programs and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has developed a
systematic methodology for collecting morbidity and
mortality occurrence data, across a range of species. A comprehensive
survey of instances of marine ecological disturbance, and a
methodology for future Major marine ecological disturbances (MMED)
investigation, is desired by international, federal and state agencies
in their efforts to better understand the changes occurring in the
world's oceans. Our approach draws together the expertise of over 15
separate disciplines, organizes historic data in one standard format,
assesses the integrity and coverage of data, and provides a method for
future standardized data collection and analysis. Events within this
morbidity and mortality database serve as (eco)indicators of
ecologically and economically significant disturbances. The overall
framework enables the assessment of marine ecosystem health.

In our initial study area, which includes the Western North Atlantic,
Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, recognized major marine
ecological disturbances (MMEDs) have increased during the last 30
years. We have tracked those changes and are attempting to
characterize patterns within our data-sets. The HEED Global Change
Program provides researchers, interested in testing hypotheses, with
six data-sets and a framework to explore factors (e.g., climate,
pollution, trophodynamic shifts) that may be contributing to
MMEDs. The methods that we have developed can be scaled up to the
level of global assessment.

The six datasets integrated for our Framework are:

1) MMED Database: Morbidity/mortality and adverse occurrences among
coral, seagrasses, invertebrates, fish, sea turtles, shore birds,
marine mammals, and humans, including Harmful Algal Bloom data.

2) Climate Databases: Sea-surface temperature anomalies,
precipitation anomalies, unusual weather events, movement of the Gulf
Stream, indices of climatological anomalies, including the NAO and El
Nino phenomena.

3) Biophysical Databases: Dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients,
river flux, metal concentrations, water column stratification, oxygen,
salinity, solar radiation, presence/absence and abundance of indicator
species.

4) Base-line Ecosystem Datasets: Chlorophyll biomass, plankton
abundance and diversity, dynamics and life history for benthic and
pelagic species, and their organization in trophodynamic guilds for
particular places over time.

5) Economic Database: NMFS fisheries statistics, FEMA and SBA requests
for assistance, and other economic and social costs of morbidity and
mortality events. Case studies include Pfiesteria, Summer, 1997.

6) Mass-Media Database: Article searches of MMED-related stories and
economic costs, to ensure complete coverage of data too recent to
appear in published literature. Case studies include global marine
mammal reports from 1997-98.

Our data depicts a geographic expansion and overall increase in MMEDs,
over the last several decades - including unprecedented events, and
disturbances of increasing severity. These have had, in some cases,
significant human health and economic impacts. Increased understanding
of MMEDs, through the use of the tracking methodology described here,
provides a justification and basis for a rapid response to public
health risks and threats to ecosystems.
For more information, see:
"http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/textbook/index.htm"

Related URL
Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE
Description: Public information for ASAC project 2722


Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Description: Download point for further details about the project.


Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Description: Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset


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Geographic Coverage
 N: -65.0 S: -67.0  E: 80.0  W: 20.0

Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 2006-10-01
Stop Date: 2011-03-31


Location Keywords
OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN
CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA
GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR


Science Keywords
OCEANS >AQUATIC SCIENCES >FISHERIES    [Definition]
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION >ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES >FISH    [Definition]
BIOSPHERE >ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS >SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS >SPECIES PREDATION    [Definition]


ISO Topic Category
BIOTA
OCEANS


Platform
FIELD SURVEYS    [Information]


Quality
The Dates provided in temporal coverage are approximate only, and represent the beginning and end of the 2006 - 2011 Antarctic seasons.
The latitudes and longitudes provided in spatial coverage are approximate only.

Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report:
Variations to work plan or objectives:
An aerial survey of the Vestfold Hills and Rauer Islands was conducted in November 2009 to collect data on the distribution and abundance of Adelie penguins in the areas around Davis. This supports one of the projects stated goals of expanding the spatial scale of monitoring, and involved taking photographs from a helicopter along pre-defined transects. Counts from aerial photographs will enable an assessment of the current distribution of colonies throughout the Vestfold Hills and Rauer Islands. Density and abundance will also be assessed providing population estimates. Current estimates will be compared with aerial photography through the same region in previous decades, enabling an assessment of changes in the distribution and abundance of the meta-population. Planned ground surveys of islands off Davis were performed in November 2009 (Gardener Island). Aerial photography of the Adelie penguin colonies surveyed from the ground in a small section of Gardner island enabled an assessment of the accuracy of counts gained from both survey methods. Preliminary results from this small trial indicate considerable undercounting from aerial photos, and further assessment of bias may be needed in 2010/11.

We propose to expand the snow petrel monitoring program to include (1) measurement of breeding success from mountain sites inland from Mawson, (2) a regional survey of the snow petrel population across the islands in the Kista Strait off Mawson, (3) modifying existing methods of nest checking for improved measurement of breeding success, and (4) identifying the relationship between parental quality and habitat quality.

Field work:
This season we performed a count of Adelie penguin sub-colonies on Gardener Island off Davis to ground truth aerial photography surveys. Ground surveys were also performed at a number of islands within the Rookeries group to the west of Mawson, and at the Robinson Islands the east of Mawson, to estimate population size and contribute to an assessment of temporal variation in abundance. Local islands around Mawson (Verner, Welch, Petersen and Klung) were also visited to count adults and / or chicks, and to maintain and download the automatic cameras installed on each island. The detailed monitoring program of Adelie penguins at Bechervaise Island, a CEMP long-term monitoring site, was continued and achieved all planned objectives. These included arrival counts, male and female attendance counts, as well as egg and chick counts to estimate hatching and breeding success. Satellite transmitters were deployed on 15 fledging Adelie penguins to track their winter foraging range.

Work on flying seabirds included surveys on numerous islands within the Kista Strait off Mawson, and the Robinson group east of Mawson. Double-observer surveys were performed at all visited sites to assess the detectability of crevice nesting species (snow petrels and Wilson's storm petrels). Regular checks of a large sample of snow petrel nest on Bechervaise island provided data on the proportion of nests occupied, nest attendance rates, hatching success and breeding success.

Laboratory activity/analysis:
CCAMLR monitoring data are processed and submitted to CCAMLR in the winter following each field season. Analysis of population survey, breeding success, foraging and survival data is continually underway as evidenced by the many recent publications.


Access Constraints
The data are currently not publicly available.

A copy of a pdf document providing more information about the project is available for download at the provided URL.


Use Constraints
This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference at the provided URL when using these data.


Keywords
predation
CCAMLR
fisheries


Data Set Progress
IN WORK


Data Center
Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia    [Information]
Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC
Phone: +61 3 6232 3244
Fax: +61 3 6232 3351
Email: metadata at aad.gov.au
Contact Address:
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
City: Kingston
Province or State: Tasmania
Postal Code: 7050
Country: Australia



Distribution
Distribution_Media: HTTP
Distribution_Size: 88 kb
Distribution_Format: pdf
Fees: free


Personnel
COLIN SOUTHWELL
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: +61 3 6232 3450
Fax: +61 3 6232 3351
Email: colin.southwell at aad.gov.au
Contact Address:
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
City: Kingston
Province or State: Tasmania
Postal Code: 7050
Country: Australia


DAVE CONNELL
Role: DIF AUTHOR
Phone: +61 3 6232 3244
Fax: +61 3 6232 3351
Email: dave.connell at aad.gov.au
Contact Address:
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
City: Kingston
Province or State: Tasmania
Postal Code: 7050
Country: Australia


Publications/References
Epstein PR. Is Global Warming Harmful to Health? Scientific American;
August 2000

Epstein PR. Climate and Health. Science 1999: 285: 347-348

Epstein PR, Dobson A, Vandermeer J. Biodiversity and Emerging
Infectious Diseases: Integrating Health and Ecosystem Monitoring. In
Biodiversity and Human Health. Grifo F, Rosenthal J (Eds.). Island
Press. Washington DC 1997.

Epstein PR, Ford TE, Colwell RR. Marine ecosystems. Lancet 1993; 342:
1216-1219.

Epstein PR. Emerging diseases and ecosystem instability: New threats
to public health. American Journal of Public Health 1994; 85: 168-172.

Patz JA, Epstein PR, Burke TA, Balbus JM. Global climate change and
emerging infectious diseases. Journal of the American Medical
Association 1996; 275: 217-223.

Haines A, Epstein PR, McMichael AJ, on behalf of an international
panel. Global health watch: monitoring impacts of environmental
change. Lancet 1993; 342: 1463-1469.

For human health and global environmental change publications, see:
http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/resources.html

Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2000-03-24
Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-11-08

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