USAP-DC

Pygoscelis penguins are central place foragers during the summer while they raise their chicks. They leave and return to the same colony location after hunting for food and rely on the availability of Antarctic krill, their primary food source. This research focuses on whether penguin diets and colony location reflect the retention of prey around and near colonies on the West Antarctic Peninsula. Eddies and other oceanographic processes may facilitate prey retention at certain locations, driving penguin colony establishment and success. This project hypothesizes that Pygoscelis penguin diets will be composed of more Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) when local prey retention is high, possibly due to subsurface eddies. This hypothesis will be tested using satellite-based estimates of Pygoscelis penguin diet composition using multispectral sensor data to estimate nitrogen values and infer trophic level. Prey retention will be calculated along the peninsula using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Simulated particles and diel vertical migration will be used to mimic krill behavior. These particles can be experimentally seeded across multiple depths in multiple years to assess residence times in the system. Using penguin colony data from the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), the PI will correlate diet and retention metrics to local penguin colony growth and persistence and build a predictive model of where colonies may form in the future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Person	Role
Gallagher, Katherine	Investigator and contact

Post Doc/Travel

Award # 2138277

USAP-2138277_1

None in the Database

Repository	Title (link)	Format(s)	Status
USAP-DC	Simulated krill trajectory data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 & 2018-2019	netcdf	exists
USAP-DC	Current velocity and direction data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations (2008-2009 & 2018-2019)	netcdf	exists
USAP-DC	Passive particle trajectories from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 & 2018-2019	netcdf	exists
USAP-DC	Simulated marine debris trajectories along the West Antarctic Peninsula in 2008-2009 and 2018-2019	netcdf	exists

1. Gallagher, K. L., Dinniman, M. S., & Lynch, H. J. (2023). Quantifying Antarctic krill connectivity across the West Antarctic Peninsula and its role in large-scale Pygoscelis penguin population dynamics. Scientific Reports, 13(1). (doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39105-6)
2. Gallagher, K. L., Selig, G. M., & Cimino, M. A. (2024). Descriptions and patterns in opportunistic marine debris collected near Palmer Station, Antarctica. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 199, 115952. (doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115952)