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We explore the utility of estimating the density of calls of baleen whales for better understanding acoustic trends over time. We consider as a case study stereotyped 'song' calls of Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia)…
Baleen whales are extreme capital breeders, capable of fasting for more than half a year while migrating thousands of kilometres and nursing rapidly growing offspring that quadruple in body size over the same period. To understand this energetic conundrum…
Data collection facilitated by remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) has proven to be revolutionary in many disciplines including for research in extreme environments. Here we assess current use and utility of small multirotor remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs)…
Satellite tagging provides vital information about the ecology of whales, not currently obtainable in any other way, but it can elicit short- and long-term impacts on individuals.
Allocation of energy is as important as energy uptake for maintaining healthy life cycles and sustainable populations of krill. Environmental factors such as temperature and food availability play important roles in the physiological performance of krill.
The 7th International Zooplankton Production Symposium was held in Hobart, Australia in March, 2024 with the theme 'New Horizons', chosen to reflect the current perception that oceans are now experiencing greater human impacts than ever before, and to explore how zooplankton are impacted.
Plankton, a diverse group of aquatic organisms, make Earth livable, regulate aquatic life, and provide benefits to human societies such as access to clean water, food security, and well-being. They also support economies and inspire biotechnological innovations.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is the central prey species in the Southern Ocean food web, supporting the largest and fastest-growing fishery in the region, managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
Species distribution models (SDMs) quantify the relationship between species presence and environmental factors. They are often used to guide conservation management plans, but limited availability of environmental and biological data in undersampled regions, such as the Southern Ocean…
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is the target of the largest commercial fishery in the Southern Ocean. Its abundance varies regionally and exhibits great interannual variability. This natural variability, combined with climate change effects…
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a key species in the marine Antarctic ecosystem. Food boluses, a by-product of feeding where Antarctic krill form a compact food mass within their feeding basket, were formed and rejected under laboratory conditions.
Deep chlorophyll maxima (DCMs) have long been studied in the northern hemisphere but have received less attention in the Southern Ocean. Their contribution to phytoplankton biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) is poorly resolved. Recently…
Blue whale and their subspecies is an endangered whale species that needs to be conserved by protecting their important habitat and migration corridor. Research about designing and modelling blue whale habitat for marine protected area has been done many times. However…
The use of satellite tags has yielded important information to better understand cetacean ecology and to improve cetacean conservation. However, tag deployment duration has been highly variable and typically shorter than their battery life on most large whale species. Between 2011 and 2018…
Understanding how marine predators explore dynamic ocean environments is key for assessing the ecological significance of different habitats and for informing conservation efforts. This is particularly critical in remote and poorly surveyed regions…
Aim … To map presence, absence and ignorance of Antarctic seabird breeding occupancy at the spatial resolution of ice-free habitat sites to identify knowledge gaps and inform management and conservation. Location … East Antarctica between longitudes 30°?E and 150°?E.
Phytoplankton production controls the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean through the biological carbon pump, facilitating the sequestration of carbon dioxide and thus, contributing to the regulation of global climate. In the Southern Ocean…
The large-scale exploitation of whale populations in the whaling era led to the near extirpation of large whales all over the world. This must have had major repercussions for marine ecosystems globally.
As whales recover from commercial exploitation, they are increasing in abundance in habitats that they have been absent from for decades. However, studying the recovery and habitat use patterns of whales, particularly in remote and inaccessible regions…
Vertical migrations by marine organisms contribute to carbon export by consumption of surface … phytoplankton followed by defecation in the deep ocean. However, biogeochemical models lack … observational data, leading to oversimplified representation of carbon cycling by migrating organisms…
In the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, 80°E marks an important transition in ocean circulation between the greater Prydz Bay gyre to the west and the Australian … Antarctic gyre to the east. Here, the submarine Kerguelen Plateau impedes the eastward flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current…
A southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) was found dead, stranded on a remote rock platform at Torndirrup, Western Australia, on 20 September 2022.
Among large cetaceans in the Southern Hemisphere, fin whales were the most heavily exploited in terms of numbers taken during the period of intense industrial whaling. Recent studies suggest that…