Explaining process, pattern and dynamics of marine predator hotspots in the Southern Ocean

尽管南大洋是现存最大的“海洋荒野”之一，但它仍受到气候变化和人类活动的影响。养护和管理南大洋生态系统依赖于了解造成海洋生物分布的模式和过程，但这在逻辑上是困难的。最近，南极跟踪数据回顾分析（RAATD）[1]汇编了17种海鸟和海洋哺乳动物物种的动物跟踪数据，以模拟生态重要性区域（AES），其基本原理是这些区域代表了高猎物丰度，多样性和可达性的地方[1]。然而，这些AES的机制和动力学只得到了肤浅的关注-是什么原因使这些成为海鸟和海洋哺乳动物的重要领域？因此，这个博士项目将使用RAATD数据集[2]，增加额外的跟踪数据，结合各种物理和生物海洋学数据集来调查：1）南大洋AES的海洋学过程和模式;以及2）年内和年际环境和行为变化影响南大洋AES存在和持久性的程度。结果将用于评估动态和/或基于过程的养护和管理方法的可能性，以及在多大程度上可以预测AES。

Despite being among the largest remaining 'marine wildernesses', the Southern Ocean is impacted by climate change and human activities. Conservation and management of Southern Ocean ecosystems relies on understanding patterns of and processes causing the distribution of marine life, but this is logistically difficult. Recently, the Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) [1] compiled animal tracking data for 17 seabird and marine mammal species to model Areas of Ecological Significance (AES) with the rationale that these areas represent places of high prey abundance, diversity and accessibility [1]. However, the mechanisms and dynamics of these AES have only received superficial attention - what causes these to be important areas for seabirds and marine mammals? This PhD project will thus use the RAATD dataset [2], augmented with additional tracking data, in conjunction with various physical and biological oceanographic datasets to investigate: 1) what oceanographic processes and patterns underly AES in the Southern Ocean; and 2) the extent to which intra- and inter-annual environmental and behavioural variation affects the presence and persistence of AES in the Southern Ocean. The results will be used to assess the possibility of dynamic and/or process-based conservation and management approaches, and to what extent AES can be forecast.