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El Nino threat to seabirds on Abrolhos Islands
Story Added : 01st July 2009
Updated: 1 minute ago
An 18 year study of seabirds has revealed new connections between El Nino events and the Leeuwin current.
The study looked at the breeding habits of seabirds on the Abrolhos Islands off the Western Australian coast.
It found the Leeuwin current, which feeds warm tropical water down the WA coast, was weaker during the years when an El Nino event was strongest.
The current carries tiny larval crustaceans, the major food source for the breeding seabirds, and when the current is weaker, food supplies for the birds are greatly reduced.
Ecologist Dr Chris Surman says the long term study suggests that if the number of El Nino events increases, the future looks bleak for the birds.
"We will have a system where the birds are not able to replace themselves in their lifetimes because each bad season the birds don't breed and the more bad seasons you have the less chance they have of breeding successfully," he says.
Story Added by ABC.
Date Added : 01st July 2009
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