Annual population counts at selected Adelie Penguin colonies within the AAT

This indicator is no longer maintained, and is considered OBSOLETE.
INDICATOR DEFINITION
Breeding populations of Adelie penguins at Davis, Mawson and Casey (including Shirley Island and Whitney Point).
TYPE OF INDICATOR
There are three types of indicators used in this report:
1.   Describes the CONDITION of important elements of a system;
2.   Show the extent of the major PRESSURES exerted on a system;
3.   Determine RESPONSES to either condition or changes in the condition of a system.
This indicator is one of: CONDITION
RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION
The breeding population of Adelie penguins is related to resource availability (nesting space and food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance). Monitoring these colonies and interpretation of the data provides information on changes in the Antarctic ecosystem.
DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM
Spatial scale: Colonies near Australian Stations -
Casey (lat 66 deg 16' 54.5" S, long 110 deg 31' 39.4" E)
Davis (lat 68 deg 34' 35.8" S, long 77 deg 58' 02.6" E)
Mawson (lat 67 deg 36' 09.7" S, long 62 deg 52' 25.7" E)
All colonies on -
Shirley Island (lat 66 deg 16' 55.9" S, long 110 deg 29' 17.9" E) and
Whitney Point (lat 66 deg 15' 08.6" S, long 110 deg 31' 40.1" E)
Frequency:  Annual surveys at Shirley Island and Whitney Point. Other colonies every 2-3 years, depending on logistical constraints.
Measurement technique: Each colony is visited and all breeding birds are counted from the ground by two or three personnel performing replicate counts. Supplementary census data are obtained from oblique ground and aerial photographs. All breeding adults in a colony are counted.
Considerations regarding disturbance associated with census visits are also incorporated into monitoring strategies. The lack of annual census data for some colonies does not reduce the value of these long-term monitoring programmes.
RESEARCH ISSUES
Adelie Penguin populations throughout East Antarctica have shown sustained, long-term increases for the past 30 or more years; in contrast, populations elsewhere around the Antarctic and on the Antarctic Peninsula have exhibited decreases or no clear long-term trends (Woehler et al. 2001). Greater coverage of colonies throughout the AAT would provide a more accurate estimate of the total annual breeding population in East Antarctica. In addition to basic inventory requirements, data on the population trends would contribute to a better understanding of the role of Adelie penguins in the Antarctic ecosystem, and provide managers with feedback or management strategies.
LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS

Tags: ADELIE PENGUIN, AMD, AMD/AU, ANTARCTICA, CEOS, CONSERVATION, CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS > PENGUINS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > ENDANGERED SPECI, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > RANGE CHANGES, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SPECIES LIFE HIS, FIELD INVESTIGATION, FIELD SURVEYS, GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR, OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN, POPULATION DYNAMICS, POPULATION TRENDS, PYGOSCELIS ADELIAE, SEABIRDS, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network