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The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the subpolar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9–5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations has been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

(Den Grønlandske Slædehund), A tribute to the greenland sled dog. A photographic adventure with a presentation of the Qimmeq Projects activities and results.

”QIMMEQ – Den Grønlandske Slædehund” er en hyldest i tekst og billeder til en helt unik hunderace og de mennesker der omgiver den.Med tekstbidrag fra 14 eksperter, beskrives den grønlandske slædehunds oprindelse, dens kulturelle betydning, den nutidige brug af hunden i Grønland samt hundens sundhed. Igennem bogen optræder desuden citater fra, og interview med, grønlandske slædekuske, der beskriver deres forhold til slædehunden. Bogen indledes med forord af Hans Kongelige Højhed Kronprins Frederik.Bogen er rigt illustreret med prisvindende fotograf Carsten Egevangs sort-hvide fotos. I et indbydende layout portrætteres slædehunden, det specielle bånd mellem slædekusk og hundene samt hundens funktioner i dagens Grønland – alt sammen med det storslået grønlandske natur-sceneri som baggrund.

Seabirds are important components in marine ecosystems. However, knowledge of their ecology and spatial distribution during the non-breeding season is poor. More investigations during this critical period are required urgently, as marine environments are expected to be profoundly affected by climate change and human activities, with both direct and indirect consequences for marine top predators. Here, we studied the distribution of little auks (Alle alle), one of the most abundant seabird species worldwide. We found that after the breeding season, birds from East Greenland quickly travelled north-east to stay for several weeks within a restricted area in the Greenland Sea. Activity patterns indicated that flying behaviour was much reduced during this period, suggesting that this is the primary moulting region for little auks. Birds then performed a southerly migration to overwinter off Newfoundland. These preliminary results provide important information for the conservation of this species and emphasise the need for further studies at a larger spatial scale.

The migrations and winter distributions of most seabirds, particularly small pelagic species, remain poorly understood despite their potential as indicators of marine ecosystem health. Here we report the use of miniature archival light loggers (geolocators) to track the annual migration of Sabine’s Gull Larus sabini, a small (c. 200 g) Arctic-breeding larid. We describe their migratory routes and identify previously unknown staging sites in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as their main Atlantic wintering area in the southern hemisphere. Sabine’s Gulls breeding in northeast Greenland displayed an average annual migration of almost 32 000 km (n = 6), with the longest return journey spanning close to 39 000 km (not including local movements at staging sites or within the wintering area). On their southern migration, they spent an average of 45 days in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Sea, off the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal. They all wintered in closeassociation with the cold waters of the Benguela Upwelling, spending an average of 152 days in that area. On their return north, Sabine’s Gulls staged off the west African coast (Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal), spending on average 19 days at this site. This leg of migration was particularly rapid, birds travelling an average of 813 km⁄ day, assisted by the prevailing winds. Sabine’s Gulls generally followed a similar path on their outbound and return migrations, and did not exhibit the broad figure-of-eight pattern (anti clockwise in the southern hemisphere and clockwise in the northern hemisphere) seen in other trans-equatorial seabirds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Denne afhandling præsenterer resultater fra studier udført på havterne (Sterna paradisaea) i perioden 2002-2008. Data i forbindelse med afhandlingen er indsamlet gennem feltarbejde på to lokaliteter i Grønland: Kitsissunnguit (Grønne Ejland), Disko Bugt i arktisk Vestgrønland samt på Sandøen i høj-arktisk Nordøstgrønland. Vidensgrundlaget for havternen i Grønland før 2002 var gennemgående ringe, med aspekter af artens ynglebiologi ubeskrevet for den grønlandske bestands vedkommende. Denne afhandling præsenterer ny viden for havternen både på en international skala, såvel som på en national skala. Først og fremmest er studiet af havternens træk (Manus I) – det længste træk registreret hos noget dyr – et studie med international appel. Studiet dokumenterer hvorledes terner, der yngler i Nordøstgrønland og Island, gennemfører trækket til Weddell Havet ved Antarktis, og tilbage igen. Alene den tilbagelagte distance (gennemsnitlig 71.000 km) er interessant, men studiet kunne også dokumentere, hvordan ternerne under deres lange træk er afhængige af havområder med særlig høj biologisk produktion. På det sydgående træk stopper fuglene trækket og opholder sig i næsten en måned (25 dage i gennemsnit) i den centrale del af Nordatlanten, før de fortsætter mod syd. Tæt ved Ækvator (~10º N) opstår en opdeling af trækvejen: Af 11 mærkede individer fortsætter syv langs Afrikas kyst, mens ¿ re individer krydser Atlanten, for at fortsætte langs østkysten af Sydamerika. Det nordgående træk fra vinterkvarteret til ynglepladserne blev gennemført med særlig høj hastighed (gennemsnitligt 520 km per dag) og fulgte en rute med favorable vindretninger. Denne afhandling indeholder også det første kvanti¿ cerede estimat af havternens evne til at producere et såkaldt omlægskuld – et erstatningskuld hvis første kuld går tabt (Manus II og III). På trods af, at det ofte nævnes i litteraturen at, This PhD thesis presents the results of a study performed on the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) in the period 2002-2008. Data in the study were obtained from fieldwork conducted at two study sites in Greenland: Kitsissunnguit (Grønne Ejland), Disko Bay in Arctic West Greenland and Sand Island (Sandøen) in high-Arctic Northeast Greenland. The level of knowledge of the Arctic tern in Greenland before 2002 was to a large extent poor, with aspects of its biology being completely unknown in the Greenland population. This thesis presents novel findings for the Arctic tern, both on an international scale and on a national scale. The study on Arctic tern migration (Manus I) – the longest annual migration ever recorded in any animal – is a study with an international appeal. The study documented how Greenland and Iceland breeding terns conduct the roundtrip migration to the Weddell Sea in Antarctica and back. Although the sheer distance (71,000 km on average) travelled by the birds is interesting, the study furthermore showed how the terns depend on high-productive at-sea areas during their massive migration. On the southbound migration, the birds would stop for almost a month (25 days on average) in the central part of the North Atlantic Ocean before continuing south. Close to Equator (~10º N) a divide in the migration path way occurred: seven birds migrated along the coast of Africa, while four birds crossed the Atlantic Ocean to follow the coast of South America. The northbound migration from the winter quarters to the breeding grounds was performed particular fast (520 km per day on average) following a route of favourable wind systems. Included in this thesis is also the first quantified estimate of the capacity to produce a replacement clutch in Arctic terns (Manus II and III). Although it is often mentioned in the literature that the species willingly relays, this study is the first where the reproductive response of experimentally manipula

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