Filling the gap: characterization of winter hydrographic
conditions and habitat use in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula
using instrumented seals and ocean modeling
This project is led by Dr. Andrea Piñones of the Universidad Austral de Chile, Centro IDEAL, and COPAS-SurAustral, and funded by the Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo (Chile)
We will deploy instruments on Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, to measure the temperature and salinity of the water column between 2022 and 2025. These measurements will allow the thermohaline properties of the upper water column to be described for fall and winter in regions where is difficult to access with conventional sampling methods. Thus, the hydrographic measurements will allow validation of fall-winter processes of a high-resolution model developed for the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Additionally, the track of seals will allow understanding of the foraging and movement behavior of Weddell seals, also poorly understood in the northern Western Antarctic Peninsula.
Funding:
Personnel
Lead PI:
Dr. Andrea Piñones
co-PI:
Dr. Juan Hofer
International collaborators:
Dr. Luis Huckstadt
Dr. Douglas Krausse
Dr. Christian Reiss
Dr. Andrew Lowther