Black Guillemots as indicators of change in the near-shore Arctic marine ecosystem
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Date
2007-09-14T17:19:27Z
Authors
Harter, B. Britten
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Abstract
This study attempted to explain an apparent inverse relationship between pack ice proximity and breeding success of Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) on Cooper Island, a barrier island in the western Beaufort Sea near Barrow, AK. I elucidated the first linear relationship between energy density and body size for the elusive Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida). I discovered and ground-truthed the existence of previously unknown guillemot foraging habitat on small 50 m2 ice floes distant from the pack ice. I developed new daily metrics for quantifying the provisioning to linear (8 d – 18 d) and Post-Linear (19 d – fledge) chicks. I found daily consensus between Linear and Post-Linear chicks about the level of provisioning at the colony. Finally, I explained those daily changes with significant correlations with wind speed and direction.
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Keywords
Arctic Cod, Black Guillemot, seabird, wind speed, wind direction, chick mass, foraging habitat, remote sensing ice, MODIS, provisioning, cepphus, Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean, Barrow, ambient temperature, chick growth, prey availability, Alcidae