Tracking the movements of North Atlantic seabirds: steps towards a better understanding of population dynamics and marine ecosystem conservation
Open Access
- 14 October 2021
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Inter-Research Science Center in Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Vol. 676, 97-116
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13801
Abstract
Many seabird species undergo extensive seasonal migrations, often across large marine ecosystems or between marine areas under different national jurisdictions. With the advances of electronic tracking, especially of the application of Global Location Sensors (GLS or geolocators), it is now possible to study the seasonal movements of seabirds and link breeding populations to non-breeding habitats. To take full advantage of this development for better management and conservation, and to broaden the scope of scientific questions that can be assessed, there is a need for large-scale and multi-species programmes. The SEATRACK project with partners from 10 countries is ongoing and aims to identify the year-round distribution and movements of seabirds breeding in colonies across the northern part of the North Atlantic. By 2020, 14 534 loggers were deployed on 11 species, and data from 5440 retrieved loggers have been analyzed and compiled. This Theme Section assembles original research articles based on data collected as part of the SEATRACK project from 2014 to 2019. A series of 11 papers advances the knowledge within 4 research themes: (1) variation in migration strategies among individuals, populations and species; (2) linking migration strategies and winter distribution to seabird demography and population dynamics; (3) linking migration and winter distribution to contaminants in seabirds and (4) the use of GLS data in marine spatial planning. We review existing literature within SEATRACK's 4 themes with a focus on the temperate and arctic zones of the North Atlantic to provide a framework within which to discuss the 11 contributions and provide recommendations for future research.Keywords
This publication has 152 references indexed in Scilit:
- Trans-Equatorial Migration Routes, Staging Sites and Wintering Areas of a High-Arctic Avian Predator: The Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)PLOS ONE, 2013
- Ecosystem service tradeoff analysis reveals the value of marine spatial planning for multiple ocean usesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012
- Seasonal interactions in the black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla : links between breeding performance and winter distributionProceedings. Biological sciences, 2011
- Breaking the routine: individual Cory's shearwaters shift winter destinations between hemispheres and across ocean basinsProceedings. Biological sciences, 2010
- Tracking of Arctic ternsSterna paradisaeareveals longest animal migrationProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010
- How hazardous is the Sahara Desert crossing for migratory birds? Indications from satellite tracking of raptorsBiology Letters, 2009
- Migration and stopover in a small pelagic seabird, the Manx shearwaterPuffinus puffinus: insights from machine learningProceedings. Biological sciences, 2009
- Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier?Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2008
- Predicting the consequences of carry-over effects for migratory populationsBiology Letters, 2005
- Cormorants dive through the Polar nightBiology Letters, 2005