Precautionary spatial protection to facilitate the scientific study of habitats and communities under ice shelves in the context of recent, rapid, regional climate change
01 Jan 2013-
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight why commercial fishing activities should not be permitted in these habitats, and suggest that areas under existing ice shelves in Subareas 88.3, 48.1 and 48.5 should be preserved and protected for scientific study.
Abstract: Recent rapid climate change is now well documented in the Antarctic, particularly in the Antarctic Peninsula region. One of the most evident signs of climate change has been
ice-shelf collapse; overall, 87% of the Peninsula’s glaciers have retreated in recent decades. Further ice-shelf collapse will lead to the loss of existing marine habitats and to the creation of new habitats, with consequent changes in both ecological processes and in community structure. Habitats revealed by collapsed ice shelves therefore offer unique scientific opportunities. Given the complexity of the possible interactions, and the need to study these in the absence of any other human-induced perturbation, this paper highlights why commercial fishing activities should not be permitted in these habitats, and suggests that areas under existing ice shelves in Subareas 88.3, 48.1 and 48.5 should be preserved
and protected for scientific study. The boundaries of these areas should henceforth remain fixed, even if the ice shelves recede or collapse in the future. Designation of areas under ice shelves as areas for scientific study would fulfil one of the recommendations made by the Antarctic Treaty Meeting of Experts in 2010.
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23 Mar 2010
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse les relations conceptuelles (imprecises) de la vulnerabilite, de la resilience and de la capacite d'adaptation aux changements climatiques selon le systeme socioecologique (socio-ecologigal systems -SES) afin de comprendre and anticiper le comportement des composantes sociales et ecologiques du systeme.
Abstract: Cet article analyse les relations conceptuelles (imprecises) de la vulnerabilite, de la resilience et de la capacite d’adaptation aux changements climatiques selon le systeme socio-ecologique (socio-ecologigal systems – SES) afin de comprendre et anticiper le comportement des composantes sociales et ecologiques du systeme. Une serie de questions est proposee par l’auteur sur la specification de ces termes afin de developper une structure conceptuelle qui inclut les dimensions naturelles et so...
1,133 citations
TL;DR: The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has managed the ecosystems of the high seas of the Southern Ocean since 1982 as discussed by the authors, and is seen as an example of best practice in managing marine resources in international waters.
19 citations
TL;DR: The assessment identifies South Georgia and sub-Antarctic islands in the Indian Ocean as being the most critical data gaps for this species and suggests that the global population has increased by approximately 11% since 2013, with even greater increases along the WAP.
Abstract: Though climate change is widely known to negatively affect the distribution and abundance of many species, few studies have focused on species that may benefit. Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) populations have grown along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), a region accounting for ~ 30% of their global population. These trends of population growth in Gentoo Penguins are in stark contrast to those of Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins, which have experienced considerable population declines along the WAP attributed to environmental changes. The recent discovery of previously unknown Gentoo Penguin colonies along the WAP and evidence for southern range expansion since the last global assessment in 2013 motivates this review of the abundance and distribution of this species. We compiled and collated all available recent data for every known Gentoo Penguin colony in the world and report on previously unknown Gentoo Penguin colonies along the Northwestern section of the WAP. We estimate the global population of Gentoo Penguins to be 432,144 (95th CI 338,059 – 534,114) breeding pairs, with approximately 364,359 (95th CI 324,052 – 405,132) breeding pairs (85% of the population) living in the Atlantic sector. Our estimates suggest that the global population has increased by approximately 11% since 2013, with even greater increases (23%) along the WAP. The Falkland Islands population, which comprises 30% of the global population, has remained stable, though only a subset of colonies have been surveyed since the last comprehensive survey in 2010. Our assessment identifies South Georgia and sub-Antarctic islands in the Indian Ocean as being the most critical data gaps for this species.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the extent to which these recommendations have been implemented in the global and regional legal frameworks, the flexibility and resilience to tackle climate change of the provisions can be assessed.
17 citations
TL;DR: The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is aware of the urgent need to develop climate-responsive options within its ecosystem approach to management.
14 citations
References
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01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In the Southern Ocean marine fauna and flora, plate tectonics, palaeoceanography and the resulting changes in the global climate (greenhouse to icehouse) have impacted the marine faunas, caused evolutionary extinctions and radiation of benthic marine invertebrates as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Over millions of years, plate tectonics, palaeoceanography and the resulting changes in the global climate (greenhouse to icehouse) have impacted the Southern Ocean marine fauna and flora, caused evolutionary extinctions and radiation of benthic marine invertebrates, and led to the present biodiversity. Simultaneous biogeographical events happening were the progressive retraction of cosmopolitan taxa established during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when Antarctica was still under greenhouse conditions. The disjunctive distribution patterns resulted from vicariance due to the disintegration of the supercontinent Gondwana. Active migration of taxa in and out of the SO (depending on dispersal capabilities) caused a change in biodiversity composition of several invertebrate taxa over geological time scales including the period after the geomorphological isolation established. It is assumed that life on the seabed has not been completely erased at any time in the geologic past, although some taxa vanished while others thrived or radiated. Nowadays, natural and anthropogenically driven climate change processes shape the Southern Ocean marine fauna and we can only anticipate the threat associated with these changes because the processes driving speciation as well as biodiversity changes are not fully understood yet.
18 citations
"Precautionary spatial protection to..." refers background in this paper
...Nevertheless, they remain susceptible to climate variability and change (Brandt and Gutt, 2011), including from ocean acidification (Orr et al....
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01 Apr 2011
TL;DR: The Benthic Impacts Camera System (BICS) provides the first footage demonstrating the nature of the interaction between demersal longlines and benthic habitats in the Southern Ocean, as well as showing potential as a tool for rapidly assessing habitat types and presence of mobile biota such as krill.
Abstract: Studies of the interactions of demersal fishing gear with the benthic environment are needed in order to manage conservation of benthic habitats. There has been limited direct assessment of these interactions through deployment of cameras on commercial fishing gear especially on demersal longlines. A compact, autonomous deep-sea video system was designed and constructed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) for deployment on commercial fishing gear to observe interactions with benthos in the Southern Ocean finfish fisheries (targeting toothfish, Dissostichus spp). The Benthic Impacts Camera System (BICS) is capable of withstanding depths to 2500 m, has been successfully fitted to both longline and demersal trawl fishing gear, and is suitable for routine deployment by non-experts such as fisheries observers or crew. The system is entirely autonomous, robust, compact, easy to operate, and has minimal effect on the performance of the fishing gear it is attached to. To date, the system has successfully captured footage that demonstrates the interactions between demersal fishing gear and the benthos during routine commercial operations. It provides the first footage demonstrating the nature of the interaction between demersal longlines and benthic habitats in the Southern Ocean, as well as showing potential as a tool for rapidly assessing habitat types and presence of mobile biota such as krill (Euphausia superba).
17 citations
"Precautionary spatial protection to..." refers background in this paper
...All types of commercial fishing activities should be prohibited within these defined areas as bottom gear types are known to have adverse impacts (Kilpatrick et al., 2011; Shannon et al., 2010) that may affect developing benthic communities....
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: The Weddell Sea with its shelf inhabiting fauna can be considered to be representative for the entire Antarctic shelf with exceptions, and it has generally escaped major anthropogenic impact but it is the only area in the high latitude Antarctic where long-term research fishing has been carried out as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Due to international law the Antarctic is currently the best protected large ecosystem on earth, providing the opportunity for scientific research into processes of both regional and global importance. However, it is impossible to carry out research activities without minor disturbances to the environment. The Weddell Sea with its shelf inhabiting fauna can be considered to be representative for the entire Antarctic shelf with exceptions. It has generally escaped major anthropogenic impact but it is the only area in the high latitude Antarctic where long-term research fishing has been carried out. There are two main results combining aspects of nature conservation and benthos research. Firstly, the use of dredges has clearly decreased over the last two decades, whilst the use of non-invasive underwater photography and video has significantly increased. Secondly, during the same period icebergs destroyed an area of the seafloor and its fauna more than 2000-times greater than the area affected by research trawls. The increased use of imaging methods, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and other modem instruments, as well as statistically based and coordinated sampling strategies can contribute to both a better understanding of ecosystem function and to an ongoing reduction in anthropogenic impact.
15 citations
"Precautionary spatial protection to..." refers background in this paper
...The areas will allow natural ecological processes such as iceberg scouring (e.g. Gutt, 2001), colonisation and/or community development (Gutt et al., 2013; Dayton et al., 2013), etc. to be studied in the absence of commercial fishing activity....
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Book•
01 Jan 2006
11 citations
"Precautionary spatial protection to..." refers background in this paper
...The boundaries of ice shelves and ice tongues are complex, often with numerous small-scale creeks, they also move over decadal time scales (Ferrigno et al., 2006)....
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