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  • Due to the constant thermal environment and lower carbonate saturation state of the Southern Ocean, Antarctic marine ectotherms are expected to be amongst the most sensitive to the combined stressors of warming and ocean acidification (OA).To investigate their long term acclimation capacity, adult Antarctic sea urchins, Sterechinus neumayeri, were incubated for 40 months under four treatments: 1) T cur - 0.3 deg C (present day) and pH 7.8 (moderate acidification) 2) pH cur 1.7 deg C (predicted temperature) and pH 8.1 (current pH) 3) pH-0.3 1.9 deg C and pH 7.8 4) pH-0.5 2.2 deg C and pH7.5 (high acidification) The energy budget (energy absorbed, energy lost through respiration and as nitrogenous waste) and growth parameters (scope for growth, mass of somatic and gonad tissues and the CHN content of gonad) were measured through the duration of two 21 day feeding and food processing cycles.Energy budgets were fully acclimated to OA treatments but there was only partial acclimation to temperature. Although metabolic rate was lower in the ambient temperature treatment (-0.3 compared to 2 deg C) and more energy was absorbed from food, there was no significant difference in the scope for growth between treatments. S. neumayeri can acclimate to predicted near future OA and is resilient to predicted temperature conditions.

  • During several austral summers covering a 13 year period, we collected a random sample of body feathers from chicks of 11 sympatric species of Procellariiform (wandering albatross Diomedea exulans -79 individuals in total-, black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris - 51-, grey-headed albatross T. chrysostoma - 58 -, light-mantled sooty albatross Phoebetria palpebrata - 34 -, northern giant petrel Macronectes halli - 59 -, southern giant petrel M. giganteus - 60 -, white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis - 39 -, blue petrel Halobaena caerulea - 19 - , Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata - 19 -, South Georgian diving petrel Pelecanoides georgicus - 2 - and common diving petrel P. urinatrix - 6 -) to analyse Delta15N and Delta13C.

  • Platform Transmitting Terminal (PTT) tags have been used to track Antarctic Fur seals, (Arctocephalus gazella) from South Georgia, since 1998. PTT tags use the ARGOS satellite system to collect geospatial data. These tags are deployed on a project-by-project basis and so data are not available for every year. Tags are generally deployed during the summer season.

  • The diets of Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) and Black-browed Albatross (Diomedea melanophris) have been monitored on Bird Island since 1986. This dataset comprises data on composition of diet samples (crustaceans, cephalopod and fish) and measurements of krill carapaces, fish otoliths and squid beaks found in the samples. These measurements are used to estimate the length and weight of krill, fish and squid that have been consumed.

  • Platform Transmitting Terminal (PTT) tags have been used to track Macaroni Penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus), Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) from South Georgia since 2004. PTT tags use the ARGOS satellite system to collect geospatial data. These tags are deployed on a project-by-project basis and so data are not available for every year. Included in the dataset is data from females recorded during long, post-laying foraging periods as well as from fledged birds.

  • This datasets captures the body mass, bill length and bill depth of adult chinstrap penguins immediately after their arrival to Signy Island at the start of the annual breeding from 1996 to 2020. Penguins arriving at the beach were measured for bill length, depth, and body mass before being released where they were captured. These measurements were made in mid/late November, as chinstrap penguins arrive for the austral summer. This monitoring contributes to the CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) and is part of the annual seabird Long Term Monitoring carried out by the British Antarctic Survey at Signy Island. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

  • This dataset captures information on the diet composition and mass of Adelie penguin stomach contents at Signy Island, from 1997 to 2020. The monitoring period occurred over four weeks each year and involved sampling adults returning to feed their chicks during the creche period. Sampling took place approximately every five days. Numbers of birds sampled on each occasion varied over the entire period of the dataset from a maximum of eight to a minimum of six, equating to an annual maximum of forty birds and an annual minimum of thirty, depending on the year. All adult penguins were sampled on their return to the colony using the stomach lavage methodology specified in CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) Standard Methods A8A. The stomach samples were then weighed and categorised into krill, cephalopods, fish and non-food and identified to species level where possible. Krill carapaces and otoliths were removed and measured. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

  • This dataset captures information on the diet composition and mass of gentoo penguin stomach contents at Signy Island, from 1998 to 2010. The monitoring period occurred over four weeks each year and involved sampling adults returning to feed their chicks during the creche period. Sampling took place approximately every five days. Numbers of birds sampled on each occasion varied over the entire period of the dataset from a maximum of eight to a minimum of six, equating to an annual maximum of forty birds and annual minimum of thirty, depending on the year. All adult penguins were sampled on their return to the colony using the stomach lavage methodology specified in CCAMLR CEMP Standard Methods A8A. The stomach samples were then weighed and categorised into krill, cephalopods, fish and non-food and identified to species level where possible. Krill carapaces and otoliths were removed and measured. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

  • This dataset captures information on the diet composition and mass of chinstrap penguin stomach contents at Signy Island, from 1997 to 2020. The monitoring period occurred over four weeks each year and involved sampling adults returning to feed their chicks during the creche period. Sampling took place approximately every five days. Numbers of birds sampled on each occasion varied over the entire period of the dataset from a maximum of eight to a minimum of six, equating to an annual maximum of forty birds and an annual minimum of thirty, depending on the year. All adult penguins were sampled on their return to the colony using the stomach lavage methodology specified in CCAMLR CEMP Standards Methods A8A. The stomach samples were then weighed and categorised into krill, cephalopods, fish and non-food and identified to species level where possible. Krill carapaces and otoliths were removed and measured. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

  • Since 1978, female Antarctic Fur Seal foraging trip duration has been monitored on Bird Island, South Georgia. Each year 20 female Fur Seals are tagged with a VHF transmitter. Disruptions to the transmitter''s signal indicate the seal is at sea and thus foraging trip time can be calculated. Data is available for individual seals as well as average, minimum and maximum trip times for each season. This data is collected as part of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources''s Marine Debris Programme (CCAMLR CEMP).