Responses and adaptations by two seal species to variability in the Southern Ocean ecosystem

Seek a greater understanding of the links between climate based environmental parameters and Weddell seal demographic performance. Objective 2. Test the hypothesis that the foraging ecology and presence of male southern elephant seals hauling out along the Antarctic coast are regulated by variation in the extent and concentration of coastal sea-ice.

Objective 3. Examine contemporary and historical dietary shifts in an Antarctic marine predator by using a non-invasive technique, stable isotope analyses. Objective 4.

Construct models of potential population performance for Weddell and southern elephant seals with predicted climate change Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: The first season of field work was conducted at Casey in December 2008. This comprised of surveys of the region to locate breeding and moulting haulouts, weighing and flipper tagging of Weddell seal pups and flipper tagging of sub adult elephant seals.

Specifically: Tagging Leptonychotes weddellii. A total of 30 pups were flipper tagged. Tagging: 46 sub-adult male Mirounga leonina in Browning Peninsula region.

Aerial survey of the Casey fast-ice conducted on 30/1/2009. Conducted at 1000, 500, 300 ft. A total of 33 seals counted.

Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: 1. Observations of tagged Weddell seals made in the Vestfold Hills during the breeding season. 2. Counts were made of elephant seals at Davis station 3.

No progress made due to postponement of project at Casey 4. Data collected on Weddell and elephant seals at Davis. No modelling undertaken in this year