Seabird Studies in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, Antarctica

9400809安利海鸟研究将与1994年2月至3月在阿蒙森海和贝灵豪森海举行的海洋物理巡航同时进行。航道的海洋学和设计目标为调查该区域以前从未描述过的鸟类提供了一个无与伦比的机会，但更重要的是使用一种新技术来解决浮冰边缘和南极坡锋对南大洋顶级营养捕食者中上层捕食者密度的影响程度上的明显不一致问题。这艘邮轮构成了对别林豪森海和阿蒙森海的第一次现代海洋学调查，这两个海域整整占南极洲周长的三分之一。将检验三个假设：(1)当出现陆架破碎锋时，海鸟的生物量将高于邻近水域的生物量；(2)海鸟在冰缘的生物量增加是由于浮游植物浓度增加导致鸟类猎物数量增加的函数；和/或(3)冰缘海鸟生物量的增加是取决于船速和方向相对于鸟类的抽样结果。这些数据将补充在热带和温带太平洋采集的数据，从而更好地了解鸟类对极地地区生活的适应。总体而言，我们的研究结果将增加我们对海洋鸟类如何利用风作为能源的理解，为进一步洞察构成这些顶级营养捕食者群落的环境因素提供进一步的洞察。***

9400809 Ainley Seabird studies will be conducted in conjunction with a physical oceanographic cruise that will take place in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas during February and March 1994. The objectives of the oceanography and design of the cruise track offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the region's avifauna, which never before has been described, but more importantly to use a new technique to resolve an apparent inconsistency in the extent to which the pack-ice edge and the Antarctic Slope Front affects pelagic densities of top trophic predators in the Southern Ocean. The cruise constitutes the first modern oceanographic investigation of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas, fully one-third of the circumference of Antarctica. Three hypotheses will be tested: (i) when a shelf- break front is present, seabird biomass will be elevated above that of adjacent waters; (ii) the elevated biomass of seabirds at the ice edge is a function of an increase in abundance of the bird's prey in response to increased phytoplankton concentration; and/or (iii) the elevated biomass of seabirds at the ice edge is an artifact of sampling dependent on ship speed and direction relative to that of the birds. Data would complement those taken in the tropical and temperate Pacific, allowing for a better understanding of the adaptations of birds to life in polar regions. Overall, our research results will increase our understanding of how marine birds use wind as an energy source, providing further insight into the environmental factors that structure communities of these top-trophic predators. ***