A global assessment of seabird and seamount connections

Thousands of seamounts occur throughout the world’s oceans. Many of them rise to a few hundred meters below the sea surface, and they are known to promote biological productivity of the ocean. Anecdotal evidence suggests that long-ranging seabirds, particularly tubenoses such as albatrosses and petrels, concentrate their foraging around these oceanic oases of productivity. However, no global assessment of the link between seamounts and seabirds exists. We will collate a global dataset of seamounts and use hydrodynamic models to estimate biological productivity and thus prey availability to seabirds around these seamounts. We will then use a global database of seabird tracking data to investigate links between seabird movements and the location of productive seamounts. Results of this study will shed light on the importance of seamounts for the global distribution and diversity of seabirds and will provide important information for identification of candidate Marine Protected Areas.