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The deadline for submission of abstracts to the SCAR Open Science Conference has been extended until 1 March.
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The 32nd Meeting of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (XXXII SCAR) and the SCAR Open Science Conference will take place in Portland, Oregon, USA from 13 to 25 July 2012. Click here to access the second circular for the conference.
A Bird and Marine Mammal Session (No.15) will be held during the Open Science Conference in the second week, to be co-convened by Mark Hindell (Australia) and Yan Ropert-Coudert (France).
The session will explore recent trends in both fundamental and applied research conducted on top predators from the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Continent. A large range of questions will be addressed:
What are the recent trends in top predator populations as air and sea temperatures continue to increase?
How do these relate to past trends?
How are birds, seals and cetaceans distributed at sea, especially during the winter?
How do oceanographic parameters affect these distributions and can we establish efficient, dynamic Marine Protected Areas for them?
Have the diets of top predators shifted over the past years?
How will top predators face ongoing environmental changes and through which physiological and/or behavioural mechanisms?
What are the determinants of phenotypic plasticity and how do these change with age?
What are the new, cutting-edge techniques available to investigate top predators in their environment, from stable isotopes to miniature bio-loggers and automatic identification systems?
Submission of abstracts closes on 15 February.
Grey-headed Albatrosses. Photograph by Graham Robertson
The Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR EG-BAMM) will meet in Portland during the first week of the meetings. To apply to attend contact the expert group's Secretary, Yan Ropert-Coudert at
Click here to read an earlier news item about the SCAR EG-BAMM.
John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 January 2012