Two Recent Massive Breeding Failures in an Adélie Penguin Colony Call for the Creation of a Marine Protected Area in D'Urville Sea/Mertz

Yan Ropert-Coudert,Akiko Kato,Christophe Barbraud,Kozue Shiomi,Frédéric Angelier,Philippe Koubbi,Timothée Poupart,Thierry Raclot,Karine Delord

doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00264

Abstract

In the d’Urville Sea in East Antarctica, a population of roughly 20,000 pairs of Adelie penguins of Iles des Petrels (Terre Adelie) has experienced two massive breeding failures, with no chick surviving the 2013–14 and 2016–17 breeding seasons. In both seasons the extent of sea ice in front of the colony persisted throughout the breeding cycle of the birds. The timing of sea-ice recession differed greatly between seasons and the absence of polynya in a crucial phase of the cycle were paramount in driving these failures. The change in the icescape in front of Ile des Petrels following the calving of the Mertz glacier in 2010, together with increase in precipitations and changes in sea-ice firmness explain this situation and are discussed in the present manuscript. To prevent additional future impacts on this colony, like competition with fisheries for instance, we strongly support a scientific research zone in the d’Urville Sea—Mertz area, one of the three zones of proposed Marine Protected Area in East Antarctica to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Highlights

Antarctica and its surrounding ocean are at the forefront of the global environmental changes
Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are often considered as good indicators of environmental changes because their ecology is closely related to the state of sea ice (Ainley, 2002)
We chose this season because its breeding success is exceptionally high in comparison with other recent years and as such causes and consequences are expected to be exacerbated

Summary

Introduction

Antarctica and its surrounding ocean are at the forefront of the global environmental changes. Satellite measurements have led to a new estimate that suggests an increase in the total number of Adélie penguins, as well as in the number of colonies across the continent (Lynch and LaRue, 2014). Using this technique and ground-based surveys, Adélie populations have been shown to be generally in decline in the Antarctic Peninsula, while other populations are stable or slightly increasing (Cimino et al, 2013; Lyver et al, 2014; Southwell et al, 2015). With projected continuous warming the increasing sea-ice trend is not expected to last

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