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The cephalopod prey of the Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, a biological sampler of the Antarctic marine ecosystem

1 March, 2016

Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, are important apex predators in the food web of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. However, detailed information on their trophic relationships with cephalopods is scarce. Moreover, cephalopods…

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The significance of cephalopod beaks in marine ecology studies: Can we use beaks for DNA analyses and mercury contamination assessment?

1 March, 2016 by Philip Trathan

Cephalopod beaks found in the diet of predators have been a major source of scientific information. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of DNA and contaminants analysis (total mercury…

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Complete genome of Pseudomonas sp. strain L10.10, a psychrotolerant biofertilizer that could promote plant growth

1 March, 2016 by David Pearce, Peter Convey

Pseudomonas sp. strain L10.10 (=DSM 101070) is a psychrotolerant bacterium which was isolated from Lagoon Island, Antarctica. Analysis of its complete genome sequence indicates its possible role as a plant-growth…

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An integrated approach to historical population assessment of the great whales: case of the New Zealand southern right whale

1 March, 2016 by Jennifer Jackson

Accurate estimation of historical abundance provides an essential baseline for judging the recovery of the great whales. This is particularly challenging for whales hunted prior to twentieth century modern whaling,…

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Validating the use of intrinsic markers in body feathers to identify inter-individual differences in non-breeding areas of northern fulmars

1 March, 2016 by Lucy Quinn

Many wildlife studies use chemical analyses to explore spatio-temporal variation in diet, migratory patterns and contaminant exposure. Intrinsic markers are particularly valuable for studying non-breeding marine predators, when direct methods…

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Observations of surface momentum exchange over the marginal-ice-zone and recommendations for its parametrisation

10 February, 2016 by Alexandra Weiss, John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope

Comprehensive aircraft observations are used to characterise surface roughness over the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) and consequently make recommendations for the parameterization of surface momentum exchange in the MIZ.…

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A preliminary study to investigate the biogeophysical impact of desertification on climate based on different latitudinal bands

1 February, 2016 by Zhaomin Wang

Desertification is an international environmental challenge which poses a risk to portions of over 100 countries. Research into desertification and climate change has the potential to contribute to natural resources…

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No ocean acidification effects on shell growth and repair in the New Zealand brachiopod Calloria inconspicua (Sowerby, 1846)

1 February, 2016 by Emma Cross, Lloyd Peck

Surface seawaters are becoming more acidic due to the absorption of rising anthropogenic CO2. Marine calcifiers are considered to be the most vulnerable organisms to ocean acidification due to the…

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Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica’s botanical diversity

1 February, 2016 by Andrew Fleming, Kevin Hughes, Louise Ireland, Peter Convey

Vegetation is sparsely distributed over Antarctica's ice-free ground, and distinct plant communities are present in each of the continent's 15 recently identified Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). With rapidly increasing…

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Identifying predictable foraging habitats for a wide-ranging marine predator using ensemble ecological niche models

1 February, 2016 by Richard Phillips

Aim Ecological niche modelling can provide valuable insight into species' environmental preferences and aid the identification of key habitats for populations of conservation concern. Here, we integrate biologging, satellite remote-sensing…

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Combined influence of meso-scale circulation and bathymetry on the foraging behaviour of a diving predator, the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

1 February, 2016 by Johnnie Edmonston, Philip Trathan

Investigating the responses of marine predators to environmental features is of key importance for understanding their foraging behaviour and reproductive success. In this study we examined the foraging behaviour of…

Read more on Combined influence of meso-scale circulation and bathymetry on the foraging behaviour of a diving predator, the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

An assessment of the Polar Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model representation of near-surface meteorological variables over West Antarctica

1 February, 2016 by Andrew Orr, Daniel Bannister, James Pope, Scott Hosking, John Turner, Pranab Deb, Steve Colwell, Tony Phillips

Despite the recent significant climatic changes observed over West Antarctica, which include large warming in central West Antarctica and accelerated ice loss, adequate validation of regional simulations of meteorological variables…

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Extreme energetic electron fluxes in low Earth orbit: Analysis of POES E > 30, E > 100 and E > 300 keV electrons

1 February, 2016 by John Isles, Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne

Energetic electrons are an important space weather hazard. Electrons with energies less than about 100 keV cause surface charging while higher energy electrons can penetrate materials and cause internal charging.…

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Future circulation changes off West Antarctica: Sensitivity of the Amundsen Sea Low to projected anthropogenic forcing

16 January, 2016 by Andrew Orr, Scott Hosking, John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle

The Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is a major driver of West Antarctic climate variability, with the potential to accelerate the loss of glacial ice. Using the 11 global climate models…

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Characterisation of the mantle transcriptome and biomineralisation genes in the blunt-gaper clam, Mya truncata

14 January, 2016 by Lloyd Peck, Michael Thorne, Melody Clark, Victoria Sleight

Members of the Myidae family are ecologically and economically important, but there is currently very little molecular data on these species. The present study sequenced and assembled the mantle transcriptome…

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Out of Antarctica: quaternary colonization of sub-Antarctic Marion Island by the limpet genus Nacella (Patellogastropoda: Nacellidae)

1 January, 2016 by Simon Morley

The distribution of the Southern Ocean nearshore marine benthic fauna is the consequence of major geologic, oceanographic, and climatic changes during the last 50 Ma. As a result, a main…

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Reconstructing paleosalinity from δ18O: Coupled model simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum, Last Interglacial and Late Holocene

1 January, 2016 by Louise Sime, Max Holloway

Reconstructions of salinity are used to diagnose changes in the hydrological cycle and ocean circulation. A widely used method of determining past salinity uses oxygen isotope (δOw) residuals after the…

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Assessing the structure and temporal dynamics of seabird communities: the challenge of capturing marine ecosystem complexity

1 January, 2016 by Gabriele Stowasser, Richard Phillips, Rocio Moreno

Summary 1.Understanding interspecific interactions, and the influences of anthropogenic disturbance and environmental change on communities, are key challenges in ecology. Despite the pressing need to understand these fundamental drivers of…

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Development of a regional glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT)-temperature calibration for Antarctic and sub-Antarctic lakes

1 January, 2016 by Dominic Hodgson, Stephen Roberts

A regional network of quantitative reconstructions of past climate variability is required to test climate models. In recent studies, temperature calibration models based on the relative abundances of sedimentary glycerol…

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The interdisciplinary marine system of the Amundsen Sea, Southern Ocean: recent advances and the need for sustained observations

1 January, 2016 by Michael Meredith

The Southern Ocean exerts a profound influence on the functioning of the Earth System, in part because its location and unique bathymetric configuration enable direct linkages to the other major…

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Large, buried glacial moraines revealed by TOPAS sub-bottom profiling, South Orkney Islands, South Atlantic Ocean

1 January, 2016 by James Smith, Kelly Hogan, William Dickens

Subglacial and ice-marginal landforms produced during the Last Glacial Maximum and subsequent regional deglaciation become progressively more buried, especially when postglacial sedimentation rates are high. Sub-bottom profiling is usually used…

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Ice-shelf basal morphology from an upward-looking multibeam system deployed from an autonomous underwater vehicle

1 January, 2016 by Adrian Jenkins, Kelly Hogan, Keith Nicholls, Pierre Dutrieux

The huge cavities beneath floating Antarctic ice shelves have only been explored recently by autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Oceanic waters above the in situ freezing point melt those faces of…

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