Giant Petrel Energetics and Predation Links to Wind and Sea Ice

NSFGEO-NERC funded research investigates environmental drivers of giant petrel energetics and population trends in the Southern Ocean. The project, led by AMD_USAPDC, aims to establish mechanistic links between wind patterns, sea ice dynamics, and the birds' foraging, diet, and predation pressure on species like penguins and albatrosses. Data collection is scheduled with a last updated date of July 31, 2028.

Use Cases

• Model giant petrel distribution and foraging routes using geospatial tracking data and wind speed/direction features.
• Analyze correlations between sea ice extent/concentration features and giant petrel diet composition or predation pressure metrics.
• Predict population trend indicators from time-series of environmental variables like wind conditions and sea ice dynamics.
• Study energy expenditure and flight efficiency by linking accelerometry or GPS-derived movement features with atmospheric data.

Strengths

• Project is a formal collaboration between major US and UK science agencies (NSF/GEO and NERC).
• Focuses on a data-poor but ecologically significant predator species in the Southern Ocean.

Limitations

• Specific data volume, row count, and column details are unknown from the provided description.
• The dataset's availability, access methods, and specific file formats are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

AMD_USAPDC, via the NASA Earthdata platform.

Collection Method

Jointly funded research project under the NSF/GEO-NERC Lead Agency Agreement; likely involves field biologging and environmental data collection.

Freshness

Project metadata indicates a future last updated date of 2028-07-31.

Geography

Southern Ocean, with focus on giant petrel habitats influenced by Antarctic sea ice and wind patterns.