Satellite tracking reveals distinct movement patterns for Type B and Type C killer whales

Satellite tracking reveals distinct movement patterns for Type B and Type C killer whales in the southern Ross Sea, Antarctica

Abstract: During January/February 2006, we satellite-tracked two different ecotypes of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica, using surface-mounted tags attached with sub-dermal darts. A single Type B whale (pinniped prey specialist), tracked for 27 days, traveled an average net distance of 56.8 ± 32.8 km day−1, a maximum of 114 km day−1, and covered an estimated area of 49,351 km2. It spent several days near two large emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies, a potential prey item for this form. By contrast, four Type C killer whales (fish prey specialists) tracked for 7–65 days, traveled an average net distance of 20 ± 8.3 km day−1, a maximum of 56 net km day−1, and covered an estimated area of only 5,223 km2. These movement patterns are consistent with those of killer whale ecotypes in the eastern North Pacific where mammal-eating ‘transients’ travel widely and are less predictable in their movements, and fish-eating ‘residents’ have a more localized distribution and more predictable occurrence, at least during the summer months.

Response of Antarctic benthic communities to disturbance: first results

Response of Antarctic benthic communities to disturbance: first results from the artificial Benthic Disturbance Experiment on the eastern Weddell Sea Shelf, Antarctica

Abstract The long-term benthic disturbance experiment (BENDEX) was started on the eastern Weddell Sea shelf off Austasen (Antarctica) during ‘Polarstern’ cruise ANT XXI/2 in December 2003 to simulate the impact of grounding icebergs on the seabed and follow the steps and timescales of recovery of disturbed benthos and demersal fish communities. Here, we report the basic approach and first results for this experimental field study. By means of 11 densely-placed hauls with a modified bottom trawl, a seabed area of approximately 100 × 1000 m was artificially scoured to inflict a similar damage to the benthic habitats as a grounding iceberg. Before the disturbance event and 11 days after it, the seafloor communities were sampled (invertebrate assemblages by multibox corers, the fish fauna by trawl hauls) and comparatively analyzed. Sediment texture and chemistry was not significantly altered by the heavy disturbance inflicted by repeated trawling, whereas the fauna was negatively affected. Invertebrate benthic biomass was drastically reduced by a factor of 10, while mean abundances were only slightly reduced. Demersal fish biomass and abundance were slightly but not significantly smaller after the disturbance. Effects of disturbance became more evident in the composition of the fish fauna, with Trematomus pennelli and T. hansoni being dominant at disturbed sites, whereas Chionodraco myersi was the dominant species in trawl catches from undisturbed stations.

The effects of prey demography on humpback whale abundance

The effects of prey demography on humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance around Anvers Island, Antarctica

Abstract: Baleen whales and Adelie penguins in the near-shore waters around the Antarctic Peninsula forage principally on Antarctic krill. Given the spatial overlap in the distribution of these krill predators (particularly humpback whales) and their dependence on krill, the goals of this paper are to determine if the inter-annual community structure and relative abundance of baleen whales around Anvers Island is related to krill demography and abundance, and if the potential exists for inter-specific interactions between Adelie penguins and baleen. We use whale sightings and prey data from both net tows and Adelie penguin stomach samples to correlate the abundance of humpback whales with krill demography and abundance from 1993 to 2001. We find significant relationships between whale abundance and the size–frequency distribution of krill targeted by Adelie penguins, as well as the foraging success of Adelie penguins. These findings suggest both krill predators share common prey preferences in the upper portions of the water column around Anvers Island. These findings highlight the need for better knowledge of baleen whale foraging ecology and inter-specific interactions with penguins, as sea ice and krill populations around the Antarctic Peninsula are affected by rapid changes in climate.

Decline in energy storage in the Antarctic minke whale

Decline in energy storage in the Antarctic minke whale ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis ) in the Southern Ocean

Abstract: The annual trend in energy storage in the Antarctic minke whale was examined using catch data from all 18 survey years in the Japanese Whale Research Program (JARPA). Regression analyses clearly showed that blubber thickness, girth and fat weight have been decreasing for nearly 2 decades. The decrease per year is estimated at approximately 0.02 cm for mid-lateral blubber thickness and 17 kg for fat weight, corresponding to 9% for both measurements over the 18-year period. Furthermore, “date”, “extent of diatom adhesion”, “sex”, “body length”, “fetus length”, “latitude”, “age” and “longitude” were all identified as partially independent predictors of blubber thickness. The direct interpretation of this substantial decline in energy storage in terms of food availability is difficult, since no long-term krill abundance series is available. However, an increase in the abundance of krill feeders other than minke whales and a resulting decrease in the krill population must be considered as a likely explanation.

Short-term responses of king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus

Short-term responses of king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus to helicopter disturbance at South Georgia

Abstract: The short-term behavioural effects of helicopter overflights on breeding king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus at South Georgia were examined. Seventeen helicopter overflights were made at altitudes between 230 and 1,768 m (750–5,800 ft) above ground level. Noise from the aircraft engines and helicopter blades increased sound levels in the colony from a background level of 65–69 dB(A) to a maximum mean peak level of 80 dB(A) during overflights. Penguin behaviour changed significantly during all overflights at all altitudes compared to the pre- and post-flight periods. Pre-overflight behaviour resumed within 15 min of the aircraft passing overhead and no chicks or eggs were observed to be taken by predators during overflights. Non-incubating birds showed an increased response with reduced overflight altitude, but this was not observed in incubating birds. Variability in overflight noise levels did not affect significantly the behaviour of incubating or non-incubating birds. Penguins exhibited a reduced response to overflights as the study progressed (despite later flights generally being flown at lower altitudes) suggesting some degree of habituation to aircraft. To minimise disturbance to king penguins we recommend a precautionary approach such that overflights are undertaken at the maximum altitude that is operationally practical, or preferably are avoided altogether.

Krill-feeding behaviour of gentoo penguins

Krill-feeding behaviour of gentoo penguins as shown by animal-borne camera loggers

Abstract: Animal-borne camera loggers were used to examine the patterns of prey encounter and feeding behaviour of gentoo penguins at King George Island, Antarctica. The still images from the camera loggers showed that the penguins encountered the swarms of krill for 25.5% (range: 8–38%) of their dives (>5 m) on average, during their foraging trips (mean duration of 5.4 h, n = 7 trips). They encountered krill swarms during the dives to 10–70 m depth, in pelagic as well as benthic habitats. In the benthic habitat, the penguins swam just above the sea floor and headed downward over a krill swarm, probably using the sea floor to assist them to feed on mobile swarms. The shallow coastal waters would be the important foraging habitat of gentoo penguins breeding in King George Island.

Striated Caracaras at new Island

I have decided to relaunch this blog with scientific articles as well as books and other media as initially intended. That way, I will try to make a number of articles which I find interesting and relevant accessible. Also, I had to realize that I am not reading that many polar-themed books any more...

Population growth and density, diet and breeding success of striated caracaras Phalcoboenus australis on New Island, Falkland Islands

Abstract: The striated caracara is a rare and specialised raptor, with a distribution restricted to outer islands of southern South America and the Falklands, where it lives in a unique obligate association with seabirds and seals. Despite its tameness, interesting adaptations and the fact that it is classified as near-threatened, there is virtually no published quantitative information on its demography, ecology and behaviour. We carried out a study on New Island, West Falklands, where the species was eradicated due to heavy persecution up to the 1960s. Recolonisation started after 1972 and presently there are an estimated 85 adult territorial pairs plus ca. 130 non-territorial immatures, representing an overall density of 15.5 striated caracaras per km2. The population is estimated to have increased by 15% per year over the past 3 decades, with the result that New Island now harbours the largest known breeding aggregation on a single island in the entire breeding range of the species. The spring and summer diet of striated caracaras on New Island is dominated by one small seabird, the thin-billed prion Pachyptila belcheri. An estimated 25,000 adult and sub-adult prions are consumed every year, but this possibly represents less than 1% of the local population. The diet of different pairs displayed significant differences, which were probably related to differences in the availability of prey types between territories. Breeding success in recent years was very high, suggesting that conditions are good and the population may not yet have reached the island’s carrying capacity.

Arctic Underwater Operations

Below Freezing: The Antarctic Dive Guide

Marine Fish & Invertebrates of Northern Europe

Svalbard and Life in the Polar Oceans

Spitsbergen - Svalbard. Nature and history, regions and places of an Arctic archipelago

Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife: The Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and Southern Ocean

The Natural History of the Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctica - First Impressions

A compact and well-made anthology complete with excerpts from diaries and ship logs of several famous explorers, including James Cook, James Weddell, James Clark Ross, Frederick Albert Cook, Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Henry Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, Douglas Mawson and many more.

The Biology of Polar Regions

This is the revised edition of G.E. (Tony) Fogg's book with the same title from 1998. David Thomas and a team of 7 co-authors have reworked and updated it thoroughly. It covers all main aspects woroth knowing in 12 well-structured chapters.

From Amazon.com:

"There is now an increased awareness of the importance of polar regions in the Earth system, as well as their vulnerability to anthropogenic derived change, including of course global climate change. This new edition offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to polar ecology and has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout, providing expanded coverage of marine ecosystems and the impact of humans. It incorporates a detailed comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic systems, with a particular emphasis on the effects of climate change, and describes marine, freshwater, glacial, and terrestrial habitats. This breadth of coverage is unique in the polar biology literature. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, particular emphasis is placed on the organisms that dominate these extreme environments although pollution, conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in polar ecology, often as part of a wider marine biology degree programme. It will also be of value and use to the many professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise overview of the topic."

Of Dogs and Men

If you liked the movie Eight Below you unfortunately have been exposed to a series of grave (but obviously very Disney-style) misapprehensions of husky dogs and driving dogteams in Antarctica. Here is your chance to get some facts right:

• Americans did not use dog sledges in their Antarctic Programme. However, New Zealand and Great Britain did, and ceased to do so in 1994.

• Nobody ever used these sledges shown in the movie in any kind of dog sledge expedition. These are competition racer sledges, light, fast and highly successful in the Iditarod and similar events, and equally out of place in any working environment as a Porsche would be among flatbed trucks.

• the dogs used in the movie bear little resemblance to the Antarctic husky breed established by the British Antarctic Survey, formerly known as Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). They are just some nice-looking cross-breeds, and about as "Antarctican" as the 'Indians' in the classic western movies or as Japanese as the actresses in 'Geisha'.

• Leopard seals do not roar (although it is a nice CG shot ;-) in such a impressive lion-like manner, in fact if they vocalise they may snort and hiss - which sounds about like a sick old pony, and that is as dramatic a sound effect you are about to hear. Roaring seals... ohmygod...

If you want to get to the real stuff and the real stories of dogs in Antarctica, here is a book which probably presents it best:

OF DOGS AND MEN - FIFTY YEARS IN THE ANTARCTIC - The illustrated story of the dogs of the British Antarctic Survey 1944-1994 (available through Amazon)

Big Dead Place - the book

So here it is, the book that came out of the website bigdeadplace.com that had been discussed and listed on this blog some time ago. In short, the book is a compilation of several summer and winter periods that the author spent at McMurdo Station, the US research station and logistics hub in the Ross Sea.

Readers get an intimate view on the daily life of "the grunt", i.e. the contract worker that is employed in the logistics, maintenance, and service departments of such a station. The most prominent aspects discussed by the author are not the spectacular natural setting, the hardships of low temperature, high winds, extended periods of isolation or the glorious progress of scientific studies carried out at the station; in fact, any of these facets of Antarctic life are only briefly acknowledged as they undoubtedly exist, but that is not what this book is about.

Instead, what you learn about in detail are the management, or rather its shortcomings, by the "service contractor" Raytheon Polar Services, the private company that is in charge of pretty much every aspect of McMurdo which is not scientific.

And at least in the life of a "grunt", or contract worker, there is the overwhelming impression of science being nothing more than a pretense under which the American presence in Antarctica can be conveniently justified, which in turn forms the base for substantial construction and shipping activities both at McMurdo and at South Pole, establishing the USAP (United States Antarctic Program) as the "biggest player" on the Antarctic poker table.

Even if you assume that the perspective of an employee washing dishes, hauling trash and servicing the housing infrastructure is inherently a different one than that of a scientist involved at the research taking place at such a location, the thoroughness with which the author presents the most hilarious but also startling shortcomings of station management has to be admired. Political correctness, management speak, and ridiculously inadequate bureaucrats populate the chapters of this book.

One could assume from this summary that the book is disappointing and bitter, negative and ignorant to the countless aspects which have drawn people's interest and fascination to Antarctica, but that assumption is wrong. Actually, the author's persistence to return to this place of work in various positions and functions for several times, summers as well as winters, speaks for itself. Also, the book is written in an explicit but incredibly funny, startling but entertaining style:

"After a few hours at my normal routine, while I was in a loader retrieving Contaminated Wood fomr the Carp Shop, I reaized theat each person that I saw would be here for at least until the first Winfly plane in August. Six months was not a long time, but I suddenly felt anxious.
I would be stuck in an outpost with all-you-can-eat desserts and an endless procession of theme parties. A small town where phone numbers are four digits but the budget is nine digits, where everyone had frequent flyer miles and no one had wisdom teeth... A town into which people have smuggled goldfish and where a pet snail from a head of lettuce faces execution by gouvernment mandate. A town where going outside requires authorization... A town where corpses have reportedly been stored in the food freezer and where it is illegal to collect rocks.
This was America, I realized, all in a tight little bundle. And there were no more flights out."

I can only recommend this book highly for anyone who is seriously interested in Antarctica, not only because it covers the perspective of "normal people" - as opposed to well-off cruise tourists, scientists, or politicians - and their daily lives on "The ice". It is also a good representation of Antarctic science being an international diplomatic (and sometimes not so diplomatic) playground, where staking your claims, trading favours with the neighbours, and gaining recognition and prestige are setting the agenda.

Simply a good read.

Innocents in the Arctic

When thinking about scientific research expeditions to the Arctic, one usually tends to contrast the very first trips, which were mainly about discovery of land areas to claim or passages to sail or resources to exploit, while being away for years and relying only on what could be crammed into some rather compact wooden ships, with the modern day cruises of modern and high-tech equipped research vessels and planes, supported by all means of communication and logistics and enjoying almost cruise-ship comforts.

But there are a number of smaller and for the better part practically unknown expeditions, which were much more modest in their range and scope and limited by their respective means and funds, but nevertheless often amazingly productive in their scientific, navigational and geographical achievements.

The book I want to blog about this time is giving an example of such a small-scale expedition with big scientific turnout. In 1951, ten young men from Birmingham University decided to travel to the island of Spitsbergen to do some geological and geophysical mapping. There was no central funding agency, no national polar programme and much less anyhing like a professional logistics centre to provide them with any support.

So they made it all happen themselves. The funds that they could not raise by writing letters to their university, the Royal Geographic Society, but also to various foodstuff providers who were asked for their products rather than for money, they pitched in themselves. They organized and outfitted their own expedition vessel (?!) to take them from Liverpool to Norway from where they were hoping to continue on to the Svalbard Archipelago. As it turned out, the former antisubmarine patrol boat they chartered barely made it up to Tromsø in northern Norway without breaking down and sinking. But here they were, so they hitched a ride for the last stretch on a coal steamer.

Once arrived, they managed to set up camp in their designated study area - and soon found out just how unprepared they were for the conditions and the weather. Most of their "expedition clothing" was ill-fitting army surplus materials, their boots had been begged from a sponsor and seemed to be the best (and probably most used) item in their stock, while food was soon scarce and some of their tents partly lacked flysheets and therefore everything was soaking wet within the first few hours.

However, having come thus far with their limited and already overstretched funds, there was nothing else to do than just continue their program as they had planned, however naively and over-enthusiastically.

It seems they achieved quite a lot and although their adventurous return journey was another succssion of near-desasters, starting with an uncertain pickup dat from their remote field site and ending with shipwrecking their already overstrained vessel that they sailed back from Norway to Britain, most of them built their career on that trip and some returned to that area as well as other polar regions repeatedly over the next decades.

It is a surprisingly good read, especially for a book based on geological exploration ;-), as it is written in a very personal and humorous diary style. I must admit I skipped the better part of the geological and geophysical explanations and theories, and still enjoyed reading through it within a few evenings.

It makes you realise that the history of polar research is not only about the big names and great tragedies, but to a large extend to such small enterprises. You also learn to appreciate every little bit modern logistics, communications and transportation has to offer.

Colin Bull - The 1951 Spitsbergen Expedition - University of Alaska Press - Fairbanks - ISBN 10: 1-88963-73-9

The perfect entry...Lonely Planet: Antarctica

So what book should I start with? I thought about it for a while but figured since it would be nice for this blog not only be another forum of self-reflection à la "oh, and then I read this book about this place and I could really relate to it..."and so on, but instead it could maybe serve some people as a useful reference. Or maybe this blog could even point to some books someone interested in this kind of reading might also like.

So I will start off with an easy one: a guide book. The idea of having, say, a Lonely Planet guide in the pocket of an Antarctic traveller does seem strange, given the fact that Antarctic travellers are - with very few exceptions - either scientists and their support staff, or quite well-off tourists. While the former probably are all quite enthusiastic about their destination, they are all quite focussed on their particular task and very limited to the target area of their cruise or flight, which usually leaves little room for "scenic trips" or much of any tourist-like activities. On the other hand, the kind of people that can and will be able to afford any kind of Antarctic tourism would ordinarily not strike you as the people who also buy Lonely Planet's (LP) guide book, which is known for its "backpacker appeal" as I would like to call it.

So what kind of guide book is it, then? I can assure you that it is in almost every detail a typical LP edition, both design, layout, structure and the well-researched content, written by "seasoned travellers" and presented with tips for how to get there, where to stay, and what to see. Although as you might have expected, most of this actually relates more to the ports and cities from which you can get there, rather than naming any "Antarctic restaurants" or hotels.

So is it just another "armchair traveller's guide" to the great white (barren) continent, disguised as a practical pocket guide and aimed at people who never get to go there after all? There is certainly a great majority of Polar literature that works just great along these lines, usually with full-page color photographs, preferrably with a naturalist's or a historian's approach. On the other hand, most of these books do not assume that their readers will actually try to go there, and offer no check lists or Do's and Don'ts. Rather, the reader is supposed to indulge in the "fantasy trip" offered by the book, its text and its pictures without leaving the proverbial armchair.

So which bill fits for this book?

To me it seems it is running along that dividing line, both being "armchair material" as well as "checklist material". Why?

Because, and you might have guessed it, Antarctic tourism has diversified incredibly over the last few years, and yes, you can (almost) fill a book with tips about where to go (how about mountaineering in the Transantarctic Mountains?) where to stay (that famous "bra bar" in the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station, offers some decent vodka of local production) and what to consider when you are actually there (signs for hypothermia and how you should treat them should it become necessary).

There are useful gear&clothing tips, a glossary of all these National program acronyms, the Antarctic Treaty text (original version) in the appendix, and there are even a few nice photo pages. All of Antarctica's regions as well as its stations are covered, given an account of virtually every (permanent) human settlement of an entire continent! You can also read a lot of environmental and historical background data and a lenghty section on every of the "big names" in Antarctic history. Wow, in this guide book, the scientists take up a bigger part than the travel agents and tour operators ;-)

So, in short, if you want to get a comprehensive and easy-to-read guide book as well as some "polar escapism" for the bedside table, this one is hard to beat.

The next issue will be on an Arctic publication, and I will try to continue alternately North and South.

Welcome to my Polar literature blog!

PolarLitBlog is meant to be a little spin-off from my "main" blog, Leptonyx, which is about life and work in and on the polar regions. Kind of a running commentary of a polar researcher, if you like.

Being involved with the polar regions scientifically as well as personally means you get to read some (Polar) literature or watch movies etc. with 'Polar' themes, plots that take place on The Ice and so forth.

So as I come across any intersting stuff, I will mention it here, on PolarLitBlog. Some of it may be in German or even Danish/Swedish/Norwegian instead of English, but if I pick up a good book in any of these languages, I promise to check whether I can hunt down English versions somewhere or if not at least describe why I liked it, in English.