The retrospective analysis of Antarctic tracking data project

Yan Ropert‐Coudert ,Robert J M Crawford,José C Xavier,Sébastien Descamps,Joachim Plötz,Dominik Nachtsheim,Luis A Hückstädt,Klemens Pütz,Mike Goebel,Pierre Pistorius,Clive R Mcmahon,Anton P Van De Putte,Erling S Nordøy,P J Nico De Bruyn,Peter G Ryan,Louise Emmerson,Andrew D Lowther,Grant Ballard,Norman Ratcliffe,Daniel P Costa,Kieran Lawton,Christian Lydersen,Ewan D Wakefield ,Phil O'b Lyver ,Michael A Fedak ,David R Thompson ,Iain J Staniland ,Ryan R Reisinger ,Marthán N Bester ,Charles‐André Bost ,Mônica M C Muelbert ,Ben J Arthur ,Peter L Boveng ,Akira Kato ,Ari S Friedlaender ,Simon Goldsworthy ,Robert Harcourt ,Jean‐Benoît Charrassin ,Mary‐Anne Lea ,María Elba Isabel Márquez ,Bárbara Wienecke ,John L Bengtson ,Knowles Kerry ,Virginia Andrews‐Goff ,Wayne Z Trivelpiece ,Birgitte I Mcdonald,Luciano Dalla Rosa,Ben Raymond,Silvia Olmastroni,Lars Boehme,Mike Double,Simon Wotherspoon,Colin Southwell,Karine Delord,Jefferson T Hinke,Nick Gales,Keith W Nicholls,Christophe Guinet,Bruno Danis,Jaimie Cleeland,Azwianewi B Makhado,Arnaud Tarroux,Mercedes Santos,David G Ainley,Henri Weimerskirch,Arnoldus Schytte Blix,Richard A Phillips,Kerstin Jerosch,Leigh G Torres,Kimberly T Goetz,Rochelle Constantine,Philip N Trathan,Roger Kirkwood,Akinori Takahashi,Rachael Alderman,Kit M Kovacs,Ian D Jonsen,Horst Bornemann,Gerald L Kooyman,Mark A Hindell

doi:10.1038/s41597-020-0406-x

Abstract

The Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) is a Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research project led jointly by the Expert Groups on Birds and Marine Mammals and Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics, and endorsed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. RAATD consolidated tracking data for multiple species of Antarctic meso- and top-predators to identify Areas of Ecological Significance. These datasets and accompanying syntheses provide a greater understanding of fundamental ecosystem processes in the Southern Ocean, support modelling of predator distributions under future climate scenarios and create inputs that can be incorporated into decision making processes by management authorities. In this data paper, we present the compiled tracking data from research groups that have worked in the Antarctic since the 1990s. The data are publicly available through biodiversity.aq and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. The archive includes tracking data from over 70 contributors across 12 national Antarctic programs, and includes data from 17 predator species, 4060 individual animals, and over 2.9 million observed locations.

Highlights

Background & SummaryThere is increasing evidence and concern that Southern Ocean ecosystems are facing globally significant challenges, especially in regions undergoing some of the fastest rates of warming on Earth, or where commercial fishing may be impacting ecosystem processes
Platform Terminal Transmitters (PTTs) tags transmit signals to ARGOS satellites which transfer the received signals to a receiving station at the Collecte de Localisation Satellites (CLS) in Toulouse, France, to estimate locations based on Doppler shifts in the received signals to an accuracy of approximately 1,000 m
Different models of GLS, PTT, and Global Positioning System devices (GPS) devices from different manufactures have been used throughout the years, each having specific characteristics that may influence accuracy of the locations, but because device type was not always provided by the data providers, a standard correction has been applied in Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD)

Summary

Introduction

Background & SummaryThere is increasing evidence and concern that Southern Ocean ecosystems are facing globally significant challenges, especially in regions undergoing some of the fastest rates of warming on Earth, or where commercial fishing may be impacting ecosystem processes. Visual quality control of state space model filtered tracks circum-Antarctic synthesis yet exists that crosses species boundaries.

Results

Conclusion