eCite Digital Repository
Under ice habitats for Antarctic krill larvae: could less mean more under climate warming?
Citation
Melbourne-Thomas, J and Corney, SP and Trebilco, R and Meiners, KM and Stevens, RP and Kawaguchi, S and Sumner, MD and Constable, AJ, Under ice habitats for Antarctic krill larvae: could less mean more under climate warming?, Geophysical Research Letters, 43, (19) pp. 10,322-10,327. ISSN 0094-8276 (2016) [Refereed Article]
 | PDF 527Kb |
Copyright Statement
© 2016. American Geophysical Union.
Abstract
Overwintering of larvae underneath Antarctic pack ice is a critical stage in the life cycle of Antarctic krill. However, there are no circumpolar assessments of available habitat for larval krill, making it difficult to evaluate how climate change may impact this life stage. We use outputs from a circumpolar sea ice model, together with a set of simple assumptions regarding key habitat features, to identify possible regions of larval krill habitat around Antarctica during winter. We assume that the location and suitability of habitat is determined by both food availability and three-dimensional complexity of the sea ice. A comparison of the combined area of these regions under current conditions with a warm climate scenario indicates that while total areal sea ice extent decreases, there is a consistently larger area of potential larval krill habitat under warm conditions. These findings suggest that decreases in sea ice extent may not necessarily be detrimental for krill populations.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Antarctic kril, sea ice, habitat model |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
| Objective Group: | Understanding climate change |
| Objective Field: | Effects of climate change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments (excl. social impacts) |
| UTAS Author: | Melbourne-Thomas, J (Dr Jessica Melbourne-Thomas) |
| UTAS Author: | Corney, SP (Dr Stuart Corney) |
| UTAS Author: | Trebilco, R (Dr Rowan Trebilco) |
| UTAS Author: | Meiners, KM (Dr Klaus Meiners) |
| UTAS Author: | Stevens, RP (Dr Roger Stevens) |
| UTAS Author: | Kawaguchi, S (Dr So Kawaguchi) |
| UTAS Author: | Sumner, MD (Mr Michael Sumner) |
| UTAS Author: | Constable, AJ (Dr Andrew Constable) |
| ID Code: | 112243 |
| Year Published: | 2016 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 29 |
| Deposited By: | CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems |
| Deposited On: | 2016-10-31 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-03-17 |
| Downloads: | 129 View Download Statistics |
Repository Staff Only: item control page