Research Objectives:
The seabird component of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project will continue its research in the Palmer Station area and the greater LTER sampling grid. Specific objectives of this project are to:
+ Determine the at-sea abundance and distribution of seabirds and marine mammals;
+ Examine aspects of the foraging ecology, breeding biology and abundance of seabirds on Renaud and Avian islands south of the Palmer region; and
+ Maintain the Palmer vicinity time series on seabird population trends, demography, foraging ecology, breeding biology and behavior.
Fieldwork includes work in the vicinity of Palmer Station and onboard the R/V Laurence M. Gould during the annual January LTER cruise. Aboard the research vessel, personnel will focus on seabird and marine mammal censuses to determine how oceanographic conditions, including sea ice and prey availability, influence their abundance and distribution. During Zodiac trips to Renaud and nearby islands, researchers will census and sample the diets of penguins and other seabirds. Establishing a brief field camp on Avian Island, they will census and map Adélie Penguin colonies, obtain diet samples and instrument birds with satellite transmitters and dive-depth recorders. Work in the Palmer vicinity will complement that aboard the research vessel, but the focus will be on the larger seabird community, especially the three breeding species of Pygoscelid penguins, timed to coincide with the entire October-March breeding season.
