Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2179 See the link below for public details on this project. Taken from a progress report of the project written in 1998: 60 terrestrial sediments have been taken from Wilkes and Thala Valley tip, with control sites at Robinsons Ridge and Jacks Donga. 50 marine sediments have been taken from the bay offshore from Thala Valley tip. 116 fresh and marine waters have been taken from the fresh water stream flowing through the Thala Valley tip, the tip/sea interface, and the nearshore marine offshore from Thala Valley tip and control sites. Formal integration of these data into a GIS is underway. These data have not been archived until 2012, hence the only data available were sourced from publications arising from the project.

Results from a February 2007 survey of the Vestfold Hills coastline and offshore islands for used and disused southern elephant seal wallows. The data here are point locations of the wallows, not the extents or boundaries of the wallows. The table below gives the coordinates (decimal degrees) for the elephant seal wallows found, their unofficial names and the wallow status as used or disused at the time of survey. Data were used in the 2018 Vestfold Hills/Davis Station Helicopter map: Wallow name Latitude Longitude Status Hawker Island -68.637360 77.840040 Used Hawker Island -68.634950 77.841310 Used Hawker Island -68.632180 77.841560 Used Mule Island -68.647860 77.825900 Unused Mule Island -68.646650 77.823920 Unused Zappert Point -68.505100 78.081020 Unused Old Wallow -68.598345 77.937185 Used Davis beach -68.577926 77.967032 Used Heidemann Bay -68.592067 77.945325 Used North of station -68.571916 77.971011 Used

Depth to sea floor and sea ice thickness data measured at various locations around the Vestfold Hills, Davis station, East Antarctica, during the 2018-19 austral summer. Depth to sea floor and sea ice thickness measures in meters obtained using a weighted tape measure deployed through a hole (5 cm) drilled in the sea ice. Sea ice thickness was determined by snagging the weight on the underside edge of the ice hole as the tape measure was retreived.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2301 See the link below for public details on this project. ---- Public Summary from Project ---- This study develops and combines the latest molecular and electronics technology into a comprehensive investigation of diet and food-web relationships of Southern Ocean predators (whales, seals, penguins) and commercial marine resources (krill, fish, squid). This type of information is essential for ecosystem models that set sustainable catch limits for fisheries. From the abstract of the referenced paper: We describe seven group-specific primer pairs that amplify small sections of ribosomal RNA genes suitable for identification of animal groups of major importance as prey items in marine ecosystems. These primer sets allow the isolation of DNA from the target animal groups from mixed pools of DNA, where DNA-based identification using universal primers is unlikely to succeed. The primers are designed for identifying prey and animal diets, but could be used in any situation where these animal groups are to be identified by their DNA. Progress report from the 2006/2007 Season: Overall objective This new multi-year initiative project within the AMLR program aims to develop and combine the latest molecular and electronics technology to facilitate a comprehensive investigation of appropriately scaled and strategically located trophodynamics of Southern Ocean higher marine predators and commercial marine living resources. The objectives and early experimental design are largely responsive to needs determined by the Australian Antarctic Division's core-function obligations to CCAMLR, as well as other international organisations, the most relevant of which are the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecology Dynamics (SO-GLOBEC). Traditionally studies of diet of higher predators have often relied upon the use of a single, uncalibrated, methodology, and samples are usually collected in a manner that precludes stratification by age and sex class. Such studies are often subordinate experiments to a larger overall project. In contrast, the power of this new initiative project will be its focus on calibration across a suite of established and novel molecular and macroscopic techniques, feeding trials in controlled situations, direct linkage of samples to age and sex classes, and a detailed knowledge of the foraging behaviour of a sub-set of sampled animals. The parallel development and incorporation of electronic tools to measure predator foraging ecology further strengthens this work. In order to achieve the aims of this study a multi-disciplinary, widely collaborative and multi-streamed program has been developed. Methodological development underpins the potential power of this project to delivery its objectives. The detailed design-phase of incorporating these new approaches into an experimental framework will follow this developmental phase. In order to best represent the sub-objectives of each phase of this study, the work has been divided into the following core components: * Experimental Design (phase 1: methodological development) * Development of DNA-based molecular techniques to measure prey harvesting * Validation trials of molecular techniques * Modelling/analysis to develop a matrix of methodologies to best predict prey composition in predator diet * Development of electronic equipment to measure prey harvesting * Validation trials of electronic equipment * Experimental Design (phase 2: ecological experiments) * Integrated, question driven, field experiments Some components of this work will run contemporaneously (eg. development of molecular and electronic tools). This project has now been completed. The novel DNA based methods for studying animal diet have been researched thoroughly in controlled conditions and demonstrated to be useful and an advance on existing methods. The DNA based dietary methods have also been successfully applied to studying the diet of Blue whales, Fin whales, Antarctic fur seals, Macaroni penguins, Antarctic krill and bottlenose dolphins.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.

This bibliography contains references to diseases, health, clinical biochemistry and pathology of captive and wild sea birds. The definition of a sea bird is broad and includes all species that feed within the marine environment and others which are related but inhabit other aquatic environments e.g. cormorants. The bibliography is comprehensive but not exhaustive. The compilers would appreciate lists of missed and new items for inclusion. These should be sent to the data officer at the Australian Antarctic Data Centre at the contact details listed below.

This document details the analytical methods used to determine a range of chemical and physical properties of the wastewater effluent from Davis Station and of marine sediments collected from shallow waters (5 to 25 m) around the Vestfold Hills and Davis Station. This was done as part of a study examining the environmental impacts of the Davis Station wastewater outfall in early 2010. See Davis_STP metadata record for further information on the project.

This file contains a report from Wilkes station in 1968-1969 detailing the banding program undertaken in the Windmill Islands. The document primarily relates to South Polar Skuas, but also mentions Wilson's Storm Petrels, and Snow Petrels. The hard copy of the file has been archived by the Australian Antarctic Division library.

This file contains a biology report from Wilkes station in 1968. As well as a report, the file also contains correspondence and some banding data. Much of the information appears to relate to Adelie Penguins and South Polar Skuas. The hard copy of the file has been archived by the Australian Antarctic Division library.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.