Major Pacific study reveals top predators homing in on ocean's sweet-spots
(Image: Schematic of dominant ocean current features in the north Paciï¬c Ocean. The California Current Large Marine Ecosystem is outlined (dashed line). The north Paciï¬c Transition Zone is delineated by the dotted lines.)
etadshow468 -->The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean is anything but a featureless blue plain - especially to the myriad of sharks, whales, seals and turtles that trek its endless waters. A decade-long study, published in today's Nature, has revealed in massive detail that shifting world - one of nutrient-poor deserts, girded by writhing currents that are rich in life. The ocean's top predators are found to be chasing between these vibrant biological hotspots, as the seasons and oceanic currents push them around the Pacific basin.
This ambitious study of the Pacific's top predators - knowns as TOPP, for the Tagging of Pacific Predators - is unprecedented in scope and detail. Twenty-three of the ocean's signature species were tracked using 4,300 electronic tags over 10 years. The welter of information on the position and migration of these creatures - ranging from blue whales to mako sharks to blue-fin tuna to black-footed albatrosses - was combined with satellite data covering temperature, salinity and chlorophyll fluctuations.
That enabled the 75 scientists involved - participating is what is being hailed as the largest ever 'biologging' study - to come to new conclusions on what drives the migration of the ocean's top predators. 'This is the first publication that pulls all of the pieces together in one place,' said Dr. Daniel Costa, from the University of California. 'We brought together a large team of investigators to study diverse species and look at how these organisms use the ocean. It is an unprecedented examination of so many species over such a large scale.'
It seems that predators across the species boundaries share an uncanny knack to sense where the rich-pickings are, and to home in on them unfailingly - across thousands of miles, year after year. One of the Pacific's real sweet spots for attracting predators is the California Current, which flows south along the US west coast. Like the North Pacific Transition Zone, found between Hawaii and Alaska, this zone of upwelling cool waters, loaded with plankton, is perfect for supporting vast plumes of krill.
As the founding layer of the marine food chain, krill swarms then bring in many other predators - from blue whales, that feed on them directly, to blue-fin tuna, which are after the fish that also feast on the krill. Whilst some predators are happy to follow the California Current throughout their lives - such as California sea lions - others home in from the other side of the Pacific, like the maturing blue-fin tuna coming from Japan.
The ability to map how the ocean's main predators respond to shifting bio-hotspots has left scientists excited - such information is seen as essential in helping the preservation of vulnerable oceanic ecosystems. "Using satellite observations of temperature and chlorophyll concentrations alone, we can now predict when and where individual species are likely to be in a given ocean region and begin to understand factors that control their movements. This is fundamental to the concept of ecosystem-based management," said Dr. Costa.
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