Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY
Volume 98, Issue -, Pages 438-444Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.04.011
Keywords
Tracking; Marine birds; Mid-ocean ridges; Oceanic fronts; Foraging behaviour; First-passage time; Northern fulmar
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Funding
- Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland
- NERC
- NERC [NE/C512988/1, NE/C51300X/1, NE/C512961/1, NE/C512996/1, NE/C513018/1, pml010008] Funding Source: UKRI
- Natural Environment Research Council [pml010008, NE/C512961/1, NE/C512988/1, NE/C513018/1, NE/C512996/1, NE/C51300X/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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The seas above mid-ocean ridges are biodiversity hotspots in an otherwise largely oligotrophic environment, but the nature and extent of linkage between these offshore regimes and coastal ecosystems remains uncertain. Using a combination of GPS and geolocation tracking data, we show that a male fulmar, breeding on the Scottish coast, foraged over areas of persistent thermal fronts along the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during the incubation period. The bird travelled over 6200 km in 14.9 days. First-passage time analysis identified seven areas of restricted search, four on the shelf and three in the vicinity of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Previous studies of incubation foraging trip durations at this site suggest that a trip of this duration is unusual, and further work is required to assess the extent to which different individuals use these offshore resources. Nevertheless, these data highlight the potential importance of high sea areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction when considering the management and conservation of seabirds breeding in NW Europe, and raises the potential for even greater linkage between the CGFZ and seabirds breeding colonies in other regions. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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