Adelie penguins as Monitor of the Marine EnviRonment

To study of the impact of rapid climate changes on the Southern Ocean ecosystem, our polar project l’AMMER started in 2011 as a living observatory that monitors over the long term the status of the marine, coastal and offshore ecosystem of the portion of ocean directly in front of Terre Adélie. We monitor at-sea foraging and on-land breeding performances – together with physiological markers of performances – of Adélie penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae, from the Ile des Pétrels colony and other colonies located on the west from it, using them as eco-indicators of this Antarctic marine ecosystem.
Comparisons with Adélie penguins’ performance in other regions of the East Antarctic sector and Antarctic Peninsula are also conducted, in collaboration with colleagues from Australia, Japan and Uruguay. In partnership with the WWF, our data is shared in the databases of international programs of eco-regionalization (Census of Antarctic Marine Life, SCAR, CCAMLR). This program is labeled as a SEE-Life observatory.