2023 AMSS Abstract Book

Bering Sea | Seabirds

Complex shifts in population dynamics of Beringian seabirds are linked to long- and short- term climate modes

Presenter: Douglas Causey , dcausey@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Anchorage Veronica Padula , vmpadula@aleut.com, Aleut Community of St Paul Island

Brittney DePue , bdepue@alaska.edu, U Alaska Anchorage Alexzandrea DePue , adepue@alaska.edu, U Alaska Anchorage

Marine ecosystems and their populations are affected by complex long-term and short-term climatic modes climatic modes ranging from interannual and decadal variabilities. Because interactions between abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems, and oceanographic system change are subtle and complex, integrated analysis of these factors is essential to understanding the nature of interactions among them. We utilize a wavelet transform analysis simultaneously to multiple datasets centered on the Beringian marine environment and on the population dynamics and breeding success of selected breeding seabirds (eg., Puffins Fratercula spp , Auklets Aethia spp , Cormorants Phalacrocorax spp , Murres Uria spp . We show that over the last 5 decades, population and demographic parameters of these species fluctuate with a periodicity of 3-5 years similar to that detected in standard oceanographic parameters. Although the major periodicity of these interannual fluctuations is not common to different species and environmental variables, their cyclic characteristics not only show significant change, but diverse patterns of change

Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 227

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