RAPID: Linking the Movement Patterns and Foraging Behavior of Humpback Whales to their Prey across Multiple Spatial Scales within the LTER Study Region

鲸鱼在南大洋的生态和生物地球化学中发挥着核心作用。然而，人们对它们的分布和行为知之甚少，部分原因是在大型考察船上研究这些生物面临着挑战。这项研究将利用2012-2013年更小、更机动的R/V Point Sur试运行带来的独特机会。这项工作将利用南角调查西南极半岛(WAP)外帕尔默长期生态研究(LTER)站研究的水域中的座头鲸。研究人员将使用长期卫星链接标签和短期吸盘标签相结合的方式，调查该地区鲸鱼的分布、丰度和觅食行为。然后，鲸鱼的生物地理学将与对它们的主要食物来源磷虾的定量调查有关。将测试有关鲸鱼分布和觅食策略以及物理海洋学特征的假设。WAP正在经历地球上最戏剧性的变暖，更好地了解顶级捕食者的生态对于理解这种变化的影响至关重要。结果将通过出版物以及在国家和国际会议上的发言广泛传播。此外，将通过开放获取数据库提供原始数据。最后，这项工作将与Palmer LTER遗址的广泛基础设施协调，以便开展外联和教育活动。

Whales play a central role in the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean. However, little is known regarding their distribution and behavior, in part because of challenges associated with studying these organisms from large research vessels. This research will take advantage of the unique opportunity presented by the 2012-2013 test run of the smaller, more mobile R/V Point Sur. This work will use the Point Sur to investigate humpback whales in the waters studied by the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Station off the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Employing a combination of long-term satellite-linked tags and short-term suction cup tags, researchers will investigate the distribution, abundance and foraging behaviors of whales in this region. Whale biogeography will then be related to quantitative surveys of krill, their primary food source. Hypotheses regarding whale distribution and foraging strategies as well as physical oceanographic features will be tested. The WAP is undergoing some of the most dramatic warming on the planet, and a better understanding of the ecology of top predators is central to developing an understanding of the impacts of this change. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. In addition, raw data will be made available through open-access databases. Finally, this work will be coordinated with the extensive infrastructure of the Palmer LTER site, enabling outreach and educational activities.