The use of mesoscale eddies by juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the southwestern Atlantic

Details

• Alternative Title:
  The use of mesoscale eddies by juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the southwestern Atlantic
• Journal Title:
  PLOS ONE
• Personal Author:
  Gaube, Peter ; Barceló, Caren ; McGillicuddy, Dennis J. ; Domingo, Andrés ; Miller, Philip ; Giffoni, Bruno ; Marcovaldi, Neca ; Swimmer, Yonat
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; PIFSC (Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center) ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; AOML (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory)
• Description:
  Marine animals, such as turtles, seabirds and pelagic fishes, are observed to travel and congregate around eddies in the open ocean. Mesoscale eddies, large swirling ocean vortices with radius scales of approximately 50-100 km, provide environmental variability that can structure these populations. In this study, we investigate the use of mesoscale eddies by 24 individual juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region. The influence of eddies on turtles is assessed by collocating the turtle trajectories to the tracks of mesoscale eddies identified in maps of sea level anomaly. Juvenile loggerhead sea turtles are significantly more likely to be located in the interiors of anticyclones in this region. The distribution of surface drifters in eddy interiors reveals no significant association with the interiors of cyclones or anticyclones, suggesting higher prevalence of turtles in anticyclones is a result of their behavior. In the southern portion of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region, turtle swimming speed is significantly slower in the interiors of anticyclones, when compared to the periphery, suggesting that these turtles are possibly feeding on prey items associated with anomalously low near-surface chlorophyll concentrations observed in those features.
• Source:
  PLOS ONE
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172839
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5383008
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlantic Ocean Region ; Central Pacific Basin ; North Pacific Region ; Brazil
• Rights Information:
  CC BY
• Compliance:
  PMC
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/24598/noaa_24598_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.89 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) ; National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5e444ca56503b6e1b3cc4ca3ff26810d5348fcf640ca01afcf3d332eef99cddc7029442d756a420e8b2a4779be49504027ae7ce03dbff3ff736a3af515eb93ff