AERD Begins the 26th Field Season - October 11, 2011
The 26th field season of the U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program began October 11, 2011. Consistent with the historical research conducted by the Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division (AERD), land-based field research consists of five to six months of predator studies at two field stations in the South Shetland Islands.
U.S. AMLR Field Stations – Predator Breeding Studies
Four AMLR scientists opened the Copacabana field station in Admiralty Bay on King George Island on October 11, 2011. Five scientists will open the Cape Shirreff field station on November 6, 2011. Copacabana will be operational for six months, while Cape Shirreff will be operational for five months, coinciding with the austral breeding season, and both camps will close in early March. Most scientists will remain at the field stations for the entire field season.
At the stations, AMLR scientists will monitor the breeding biology, foraging ecology, and recruitment success of breeding predator populations in the South Shetland Islands, including chinstrap, Adélie, and gentoo penguins, as well as Antarctic fur seals. They will also study nesting seabirds (giant petrels and skuas), leopard seals, Weddell seals, and elephant seals.
Beyond Antarctica - AERD and AMLR reach out to the community
Following a successful outreach undertaking during the 2010-11 AMLR Field Season, the AERD and AMLR are teaming up again with Whale Times to conduct more "virtual missions" to Antarctica. Through the "Bold in the Cold" Program, AMLR Program scientists will correspond with students in K-12 classrooms across the nation and locally in their home town of San Diego, CA. Students will collaborate to devise two to three classroom questions about Antarctica and AMLR research that they'd like answered by the scientists, and will also receive letters from AMLR scientists describing their daily activities. Through this program, the AERD and AMLR hope to bring science to life for youth across the nation, and promote the conservation and sustainable management of Antarctic resources.
Looking for more?
The 2010-11 Field Season marked the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the AMLR Program, which was established in 1986 with the goal of providing ecosystem-based research to support the sustainable management of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. For detailed information and photos of the work completed during the 25th AMLR field season, use the links in the upper-left menu. Or visit our image gallery for historical images from the field.
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