Hemispheric asymmetry in ocean change and the productivity of ecosystem sentinels

W J Sydeman; D S Schoeman; S A Thompson; B A Hoover; M García-Reyes; F Daunt; P Agnew; T Anker-Nilssen; C Barbraud; R Barrett; P H Becker; E Bell; P D Boersma; S Bouwhuis; B Cannell; R J M Crawford; P Dann; K Delord; G Elliott; K E Erikstad; E Flint; R W Furness; M P Harris; S Hatch; K Hilwig; J T Hinke; J Jahncke; J A Mills; T K Reiertsen; H Renner; R B Sherley; C Surman; G Taylor; J A Thayer; P N Trathan; E Velarde; K Walker; S Wanless; P Warzybok; Y Watanuki

doi:10.1126/science.abf1772

Hemispheric asymmetry in ocean change and the productivity of ecosystem sentinels

Science. 2021 May 28;372(6545):980-983. doi: 10.1126/science.abf1772.

Authors

W J Sydeman¹, D S Schoeman^{2

3}, S A Thompson⁴, B A Hoover⁵, M García-Reyes⁴, F Daunt⁶, P Agnew⁷, T Anker-Nilssen⁸, C Barbraud⁹, R Barrett¹⁰, P H Becker¹¹, E Bell¹², P D Boersma¹³, S Bouwhuis¹¹, B Cannell¹⁴, R J M Crawford¹⁵, P Dann¹⁶, K Delord⁹, G Elliott¹⁷, K E Erikstad¹⁸, E Flint¹⁹, R W Furness²⁰, M P Harris⁶, S Hatch²¹, K Hilwig²², J T Hinke²³, J Jahncke²⁴, J A Mills²⁵, T K Reiertsen²⁶, H Renner²², R B Sherley²⁷, C Surman²⁸, G Taylor¹⁷, J A Thayer⁴, P N Trathan²⁹, E Velarde³⁰, K Walker¹⁷, S Wanless⁶, P Warzybok²⁴, Y Watanuki³¹

Affiliations

¹ Farallon Institute, Petaluma, CA, USA. wsydeman@faralloninstitute.org.
² Global-Change Ecology Research Group, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia.
³ Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa.
⁴ Farallon Institute, Petaluma, CA, USA.
⁵ Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA.
⁶ UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK.
⁷ Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, Oamaru, New Zealand.
⁸ Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.
⁹ Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR7372, Villiers en Bois, France.
¹⁰ UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
¹¹ Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
¹² Wildlife Management International, Blenheim, New Zealand.
¹³ Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
¹⁴ Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, and University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹⁶ Phillip Island Nature Parks, Cowes, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁷ New Zealand Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand.
¹⁸ Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, Tromsø, Norway and Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
¹⁹ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, HI, USA.
²⁰ University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
²¹ Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK, USA.
²² U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USA.
²³ Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA.
²⁴ Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, USA.
²⁵ Kaikoura, New Zealand.
²⁶ Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, Tromsø, Norway.
²⁷ Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK.
²⁸ Halfmoon Biosciences, Ocean Beach, Western Australia, Australia.
²⁹ British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK.
³⁰ Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Mexico.
³¹ Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan.

PMID: 34045354
DOI: 10.1126/science.abf1772

Abstract

Climate change and other human activities are causing profound effects on marine ecosystem productivity. We show that the breeding success of seabirds is tracking hemispheric differences in ocean warming and human impacts, with the strongest effects on fish-eating, surface-foraging species in the north. Hemispheric asymmetry suggests the need for ocean management at hemispheric scales. For the north, tactical, climate-based recovery plans for forage fish resources are needed to recover seabird breeding productivity. In the south, lower-magnitude change in seabird productivity presents opportunities for strategic management approaches such as large marine protected areas to sustain food webs and maintain predator productivity. Global monitoring of seabird productivity enables the detection of ecosystem change in remote regions and contributes to our understanding of marine climate impacts on ecosystems.