Response of Antarctic seabirds to changing sea ice conditions (2017-2019)

To elucidate the consequences of changes in sea-ice dynamics on top predators such as seabirds is challenging. However, recent technological advances to monitor animal spatial dynamics (e.g., miniaturized global positioning systems), diet (e.g., analyses of stable isotopic ratios) and environmental conditions (e.g., remote sensing of sea ice cover) now offer the potential to address such questions. Here, we propose to combine the detailed individual monitoring of Antarctic petrels spatial dynamics (deployment of miniaturized telemetry loggers), diet (through blood and feather stable isotope analyses and stomach content sampling) and demography using cutting edge technology and modelling to assess and predict how this seabird responds to climatic changes. This project takes place in the Svarthamaren Antarctic petrel colony (Dronning Maud Land), which is the largest known inland seabird colony on the Antarctic continent and constitutes a large portion of the world population of Antarctic petrels. The project is a continuation of a project started in 2015/2017. It will help anticipating the potential impact of climatic changes on Antarctic seabirds and provide us with new insights on the species' ecology in order to ensure the best possible management of Svarthamaren which is identified by SCAR as Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 142.