High-latitude occurrence of Phoebetria palpebrata in the Weddell Sea: new distribution limits and ecological implications

The study documents the southernmost occurrence of the Light-mantled Albatross in the Weddell Sea, highlighting the importance of monitoring these seabirds in high-latitude marine environments.

Summary and findings

The study reports on the distribution of the Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) in the Weddell Sea, with 24 sightings of 37 individuals recorded during ship-based surveys in February 2024. Notably, nine sightings occurred south of 69°S, including one at 71º01'54″S, 20º10'33″W, marking the southernmost occurrence of this species in the region. This finding emphasizes the significance of monitoring high-latitude marine habitats.

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> <p> The Light-mantled Albatross ( <italic>Phoebetria palpebrata</italic> ) is a pelagic seabird widely distributed throughout the Southern Ocean, foraging primarily in subantarctic and Antarctic waters associated with major oceanographic fronts. Outside the breeding season, individuals disperse widely, but records from high Antarctic latitudes in the Weddell Sea remain extremely scarce. During ship-based seabird surveys conducted aboard the Argentine icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar in February 2024, 24 sightings comprising 37 individuals were recorded between 56°S and 71°S. Nine sightings occurred south of 69°S, including a single individual observed at 71º01'54″S, 20º10'33″W. Based on published literature and global biodiversity databases, this represents the southernmost documented occurrence of <italic>P. palpebrata</italic> in the Weddell Sea. Together with the species' southernmost breeding record at King George Island (62°S), this record highlights the seasonal exploitation of high-latitude marine habitats during the austral summer sea-ice minimum and underscores the importance of ship-based monitoring for tracking shifts in predator distributions in remote polar ecosystems. </p>

Key findings

• Not reported in abstract.

Limitations

• Not reported in abstract.

Elsewhere in the ARA 290 corpus