Ecosystem change in the Southern Ocean

I am currently working on a project that seeks to understand long-term ecosystem change in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. We are using paleo-reconstuctions of snow petrel diet to study ecosystem change over tens of thousands of years.

I wrote about our expedition to Antarctica for the Shackleton journal.

For more information check out the project website.

Collaborators -

Prof. Erin McClymont / Durham University / Lead Principle Investigator

Prof. Richard Phillips / British Antarctic Survey

Ecosystem change in the Arctic

I have recently been working on a project examining the ecosystem impacts of Arctic climate change. As the most abundant seal in the North Atlantic, harp seals are a key part of the Arctic ecosystem but vulnerable to changes in sea ice conditions. Using a range of techniques including ocean biochemistry, compound-specific stable isotope analysis and bio-logging, we are building a picture of how the Arctic ocean is changing and how harp seals are responding.

My recent paper published in Royal Society Open Science explores the early life of harp seals as they learn to dive and undertake their first migrations.

We were joined in the Gulf of St Lawrence by a team from BBC Frozen Planet II and I discussed our research as part of Episode 6: Our Frozen Planet.

For more information on the ARISE project check out the website.

Collaborators -

Dr Sophie Smout / University of St Andrews

Prof Claire Mahaffey / University of Liverpool

Understanding the ontogeny of foraging behaviour

The way that an animal moves and interacts with it's environment is a fundemental, yet poorly understood process. Many long-lived species exhibit delayed maturity, and during this period individuals gain foraging experience before recruiting into the breeding population. Understanding age-related differences in movement patterns and foraging behaviours is therefore a key question.

In the paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, we use high-resolution GPS-loggers to track the fine-scale movements of immature and adult northern gannets. We then combined this data with state-switching models and remotely sensed environmental data, to examine how foraging behaviour differed between these two groups. You can read the paper here.

Collaborators - 

Prof Keith Hamer / University of Leeds

Théo Michelot / University of Sheffield

Biodiversity conservation in upwelling regions

Upwelling regions are highly productive habitats targeted by wide-ranging marine predators and industrial fisheries. These areas support large communities of fish and a wide-range of apex marine predators that may migrate many thousand kilometres to utilise these areas during the non-breeding period. However, these areas face unprecedented levels of anthropogenic-driven pressures from commercial fisheries.

In the paper published in Biology Letters, we track the migratory movements of 8 species of seabird from across the Atlantic; quantify overlap with the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and determine the habitat characteristics that drive this association. The non-breeding period is a vital element of the annual cycle, and so understanding the interactions between marine vertebrates and the threats they face at the wintering grounds is paramount to conservation efforts. You can read the paper here.

Collaborators - 

Dr Steve Votier / University of Exeter

Dr Jacob González-Solís / Universitat de Barcelona

Click below to hear an interview on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Good Morning Scotland' 

Climate change impacts on seabird migration

Climate change has shifted the distribution of many plankton species toward the poles. This is a challenge for those species that rely on plankton as prey. The aim of the project was to examine the winter distribution of a group of planktivorous seabirds called prions using miniaturised tracking devices, and compare that with historical distributions inferred from museum specimens. Using this information we will be better placed to understand how seabirds may respond to the effects of climate change.

In the paper published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, we find evidence to support an interesting difference in how migratory patterns may have shifted for two of these species. You can read the paper here.

Collaborators - 

Prof. Bob Furness / University of Glasgow

Dr Richard Phillips / British Antarctic Survey

Graeme Taylor / New Zealand Department for Conservation

Marine predators and human activities around the Falklands

The Falkland Islands hold internationally important populations of marine predators, including the worlds largest population of gentoo penguins. I collaborated with the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute to understand how marine predators such as penguins may interact with the emerging oil industry.

In the paper published in Scientific Reports, we identified important areas for marine predators across the southern Patagonian shelf. You can read the paper here.

Collaborators -

Dr Megan Tierney / South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute

Dr Alastair Baylis / South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute