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Abstract

Responses by marine top predators to environmental variability
have previously been almost impossible to observe directly. By
using animal-mounted instruments simultaneously recording
movements, diving behavior, and in situ oceanographic properties,
we studied the behavioral and physiological responses of southern
elephant seals to spatial environmental variability throughout
their circumpolar range. Improved body condition of seals in the
Atlantic sector was associated with Circumpolar Deep Water upwelling
regions within the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, whereas
High-Salinity Shelf Waters or temperature/salinity gradients under
winter pack ice were important in the Indian and Pacific sectors.
Energetic consequences of these variations could help explain
recently observed population trends, showing the usefulness of
this approach in examining the sensitivity of top predators to
global and regional-scale climate variability.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Biuw, M and Thorpe, S and Tremblay, Y and McDonald, B and Park, YH and Rintoul, SR and Bindoff, NL and Goebel, M and Crocker, D and Lovell, P and Nicholson, J and Boehme, L and Monks, F and Fedak, MA and Guinet, C and Hindell, MA and Costa, D and Charrassin, JB and Roquet, F and Bailleul, F and Meredith, M
Keywords:	body condition ocean observation oceanography elephant seals
Journal or Publication Title:	Proceedings National Academy of Sciences
Publisher:	Proceedings National Academy of Sciences
ISSN:	0027-8424
DOI / ID Number:	10.1073/pnas.0701121104
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