Seabird Research on the Frontlines of Antarctic Change

To: Bluedot Living
From: Megan Cimino, Adjunct Professor of Ocean Sciences at UC Santa Cruz; Associate Researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences
Subject: 50 years of seabird monitoring at Palmer Station amid new Avian flu threats 

Antarctica can feel like another world — remote, rugged, and untouched. Yet, what happens here impacts us all. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a global climate change hotspot, warming faster than nearly anywhere on Earth. Winter sea ice is now present for 2.5 fewer months than it was in 1979, glaciers are retreating, and both air and sea temperatures are rising. Rainfall, once relatively rare, is now a common occurrence. These changes ripple outward, influencing sea levels and weather patterns far from the isolated continent.

About halfway down the WAP sits Palmer Station, operated by the United States Antarctic Program of the National Science Foundation. One of the three U.S. research bases in Antarctica, Palmer is home to about 40 people during Antarctic summer (or U.S. winter). Half are cooks, carpenters, IT experts, and others who keep a remote base operational; the other half are researchers who have received grants to conduct research in the region. Getting there is no small feat: planning begins in April, supply shipments in June, and thorough medical health checks over the summer (you might even need a last-minute tooth extraction, like Ricky, one of the seabird field technicians, who had to have a tooth pulled two weeks before leaving home). In October, researchers leave home for at least three months, beginning with a week of travel that includes a day of flights and four days at sea. Despite these logistical hurdles, the effort is worth it, as the research is important and the place is magical. We continue the seabird monitoring efforts that began in the mid-1970s, now part of the Palmer Station Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research program. 

Changes in Penguin Populations

Adélie penguins, an ice-associated species that once dominated this region, maintain a population of around 1,000 breeding pairs that has stabilized after a dramatic decline of over 90% since the mid-1970s. In comparison, gentoo penguins, an ice-avoiding and more flexible species, colonized the area in 1993, and their populations continue to rapidly increase. These opposing population trends offer hope that at least some penguin species can still thrive here, but penguins have long been considered indicators of their environment, and their changing numbers reflect how rapid environmental and ecological changes have reshaped the ecosystem. 

The Arrival of Avian Flu

This year brought a new and devastating challenge: Avian influenza. Over 50 birds and penguins have died at our study sites so far — a seemingly low but still significant number. Among the victims are 12 brown skuas, brutal and impressive predators whose populations were already negatively affected by climate change and decreased penguin populations, as they primarily prey on penguin eggs and chicks. 

These brown skuas, many of which are identifiable by the unique number on their steel ankle bands, have been part of our long-term monitoring efforts — whether willingly or not (some are mellow and allow us to take measurements while others attack and attempt to bite us like the Cave Pair mentioned below). We gather information on where they breed, who they mate with, their success in raising chicks, and their impact on penguin populations. Some of these skuas are more than 20 years old, and we have had the privilege of observing them navigate life’s challenges — strategically teaming up to steal penguin eggs, fiercely defending their chicks (or, in desperate times, consuming them), and aggressively guarding their territories from other avian predators.

The “Cave Pair,” a long-term male and female skua partnership that predictably nested along the same steep, rocky ridge above a small cave each year, are sadly now deceased. They were known to ruthlessly dive-bomb our heads and bite our hands or pants — never quite adapting to our presence. In contrast, some of the other deceased skuas were more habituated to our presence, and would stand by watching or even nestle against our legs while we measured their chicks, seemingly unbothered. Working with wild animals, especially when you come to know them as individuals, fosters a deep love and admiration for them. I hold out hope that some of the other older, wiser skuas will survive the Avian flu outbreak, including my favorite bird, May, the friendliest skua of them all. I knew she was different when she started following us around her home island while we conducted various tasks, and over time she would rest next to us as if she trusted us to safely measure her chicks. The long-term impacts of Avian flu remain uncertain — how long will it continue to spread; how many more animals will die; how will predator-prey dynamics shift? Only continued monitoring can provide these answers.

Global Connections

What’s happening in Antarctica isn’t confined to its shores. California, for instance, is grappling with its own Avian flu crisis, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. Migratory birds creating these global links remind us that the health of one ecosystem can influence the entire planet.

Leading this research is both a privilege and a heartbreak. It’s devastating to watch birds you’ve come to know succumb to illness and environmental change. But there’s also hope, in the success of gentoo penguins, and in the research community uniting to collaboratively collect and display data to understand and mitigate these changes.

We have three more months of work to go, and then we will return next year to do it all again. You can follow our journey on Instagram, learn more about this work, and even make a tax-deductible donation to support these long-term monitoring efforts. We have additional resources for teachers looking to integrate our penguin work into their curriculum. Together, we can do more to educate, protect and understand these birds and the ecosystems they call home.