Supplementary Information for:

Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord

- numbers, distribution and habitat preferences

Authors:

Lech Stempniewicz1*, Michał Goc1, Dorota Kidawa1, Jacek Urbański2, Magdalena Hadwiczak3Adrian Zwolicki1

Affiliations:

1Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.

2GIS Centre, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdansk, Bażyńskiego 4, Gdańsk 80-952, Poland.

3 Pomeranian Landscape Parks, Poniatowskiego 4a, 76-200 Słupsk, Poland .

Corresponding author:

Lech Stempniewicz

tel. fax (0-58) 523 61 41

email:

Tables

Table S1. Characteristics of the study area (STTG: sea-terminating tidewater glaciers, CLTG: coastline-terminating glaciers, NGCS: non-glaciated coastline sectors).

Sector / Habitat
type / Length
(km) / area1
(km2) / Exposition / Littoral zone / Coast type
A / NGCS / 8.50 / 2.55 / NE / narrow, steep, deep / low skjerra, steep rocky backshore, rocky cliffs
G1 / STTG / 1.40 / 0.42 / S / no littoral, deep glacier bay / tidal glacier cliff, dead ice aside, large glacier river debouching deep underwater surfacing in the lagoon
B / NGCS / 9.00 / 2.70 / WE / narrow, steep, shallow at Luciapynten / cliff with abrasive shelf, dead ice cliff, moraine beach, low gravel beach
G2 / STTG / 1.60 / 0.48 / SE / no littoral, deep glacier bay / tidal glacier cliff, dead ice on the sides, large glacier river reaching fjord superficially aside from the glacier front
C / NGCS / 2.30 / 0.69 / WS / narrow, steep / cliff with abrasive shelf, dead ice cliff, low gravel beach
G3 / CLTG / 0.52 / 0.16 / WS / shallow glacier bay / coastal terminating glacier,dead ice cliff, superficialglacier river in the lagoon
D / NGCS / 2.00 / 0.60 / W / broad, shallow / moraine low gravel beach
G4 / CLTG / 0.30 / 0.09 / W / shallow glacier bay / coastal terminating glacier,dead ice cliff, superficialglacier river in the lagoon
E / NGCS / 3.90 / 1.17 / W / broad, shallow / moraine low gravel beach, several rivulets from melting glaciers receded far inland
sum / 29.52 / 8.86

1sector width was constant - 0.3 km.

Table S2. Changes in the ice-free area ofBurgerbukta related with glacier retreating during 2000-2015.

Dates [yyyy.mm] / Vestre Burgerbukta total area [km2] / change [km2] / Austre Burgerbukta total area [km2] / change [km2] / Burgerbukta total area [km2] / change [km2]
2000.06 / 9.407 / 7.979 / 17.386
2001.06 / 10.454 / 1.047 / 8.475 / 0.496 / 18.929 / 1,543
2002.07 / 10.702 / 0.248 / 8.651 / 0.176 / 19.353 / 0,424
2010.08 / 11.934 / 1.232 / 9.840 / 1.189 / 21.774 / 2,421
2010.09 / 12.400 / 0.106 / 9.988 / 0.148 / 22.388 / 0,254
2014.08 / 13.201 / 1.161 / 11.279 / 1.291 / 24.480 / 2,452
2015.07 / 13.143 / -0.058 / 11.343 / 0.063 / 24.486 / 0,005
Change 2000-2015 / +3.736 / +3.364 / +7.100

Table S3. Changes in length of retreating glacier frontsin Burgerbuktaduring 2000-2015.

Dates[yyyy.mm] / Pajerlbreen
front length [m] / Muchlbacherbreen front length [m] / Kvalfangarbreen front length [m] / Wibebren front length [m] / All glaciers in total [m]
2000.06 / 2650 / 1551 / 541 / 550 / 5292
2001.06 / 1657 / 1472 / 466 / 554 / 4149
2002.07 / 1511 / 1534 / - / - / 3045
2010.08 / 1910 / 1804 / 614 / 516 / 4844
2014.08 / 2840 / 2200 / 1447 / 529 / 7016
2015.07 / 3396 / 2115 / 1455 / 522 / 7488
Change 2000-2015 / +746 / +564 / +914 / -28 / +2196

Table S4. Wind characteristics* and proportion of kittiwakes foraging inHornsund fjord in July 2014 and 2015.

wind speed [m/s] / July 2014 / July 2015 / 1978-2013
monthly mean ± SD / 3.67 ± 1.97 / 5.11 ± 4.02 / 4.0
max mean at observation / 12.5 / 18.0 / 19
mean wind gust ± SD
max wind gust / 13.89 ± 3.48
20.0 / 18.67 ± 6.09
33.0 / -
days with strong wind [≥10m/s] / 9 / 13 / 7
total no. of foraging episodes** / 3052 / 2952
no. of foraging episodes in the fjord / 429 / 1446
% of foraging episodes in fjord / 14.06 / 48.98

* data from Meteorological Bulletin,Polish Polar Station, Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences;

note: wind gust was significantly stronger in July 2015 (t = -2.14107; df=22; p < 0,05).

** foraging episodes measured as no. of bird’s contact with water registered by GPS loggers (own unpubl. data).

Table S5. Number (N) of marine birds and mammals in the study area in 2014 and 2015 (GS: glaciated sectors, including STTG: sea-terminating tidewater glaciers and CLTG: coastline-terminating glaciers; NGCS: non-glaciated coastline sectors; foraging guilds and spatial foraging types: surface feeding [SF], pursuit diving [PD] and benthic feeding [BF], coastal feeders [CF] and pelagic feeders [PF]).

Taxon / Foraging gild / Spatial foraging type / Total N observed [2014/15] / Mean N/1 counting [2014/15] / % in GS (mean/1 count) [2014/15] / % in STTG / % in CLTG / % in NGCS(mean/1 count) [2014/15] / Total N foraging in Burgerbukta (mean/1 count) [2014/15]
Cepphus grylle / BF / C / 1356/
1451 / 138.7/
210.6 / 25.0/
52.4 / 23.1/
49.2 / 1.9/
2.4 / 75.0/
48.4 / 138.7/210.6
Rissa tridactyla / SF / C1 / 3694/
14417 / 371.4/
2069.5 / 77.0/
75.3 / 73.9/
75.1 / 3.1/
0.2 / 23.0/
24.7 / 371.4/2069.5
Alle alle / PD / P / 91/
1908 / 9.6/
273.9 / 1.0/
0.1 / 1.0/
0.1 / 0/0 / 99.0/
99.9 / 37.2/1064.0
Somateria mollissima / BF / C / 384/
452 / 39.2/
65.2 / 5.3/
2.4 / 0.5/
0.9 / 4.8/
1.5 / 94.7/
97.6 / 39.2/65.2
Fulmarus glacialis / SF / P / 168/
53 / 17.7/
7.9 / 4.0/
43.5 / 4.0/
43.5 / 0/0 / 96.0/
56.5 / 68.6/30.6
Uria lomvia / PD / P / 133/
53 / 13.9/
7.7 / 5.0/
1.9 / 4.3/
0 / 0.7/
1.9 / 95.0/
98.1 / 53.8/29.9
Larus hyperboreus / SF / C/P / 107/
48 / 11.0/
6.9 / 10.9/
29.1 / 10.9/
20.8 / 0/
8.3 / 89.1/
70.9 / 11.0/6.9
Branta leucopsis / SF / C / 50/
71 / 5.0/
10.1 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 100/
100 / 5.0/10.1
Sterna paradisea / SF / P / 38/77 / 3.8/11.0 / 42.0/39.0 / 2.6/
14.3 / 39.4/
24.7 / 58.0/
61.0 / 14.8/42.7
Anser brachy-rhynchus / SF / C / 20/92 / 2.1/13.1 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 100/
100 / 2.1/13.1
Fratercula arctica / PD / P / 47/9 / 4.9/1.3 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 0/0 / 100/
100 / 18.9/5.0
Clangula hyemalis / BF / C / 8/
38 / 0.8/
5.4 / 100.0/
21.1 / 0/0 / 100.0/21.1 / 0/
78.9 / 0.8/5.4
Pagophila eburnea / SF / C/P / 20/
18 / 2.0/
2.6 / 75.0/
77.8 / 45.0/
61.1 / 30.0/
16.7 / 25/
22.2 / 2.0/2.6
Stercorarius parasiticus / SF / C/P / 2/
16 / 0.2/
2.3 / 0/
0 / 0/
0 / 0/
0 / 100/
100 / 0.2/2.3
Somateria spectabilis / BF / C / 0/
2 / 0/
0.3 / -/
0 / -/
0 / -/
0 / -/
100 / 0/0.3
Delphinapte-rus leucas / PD / C / 23/
0 / 2.3/
0 / 43.5/
- / 43.5/
- / 0/
- / 56.5/
- / 2.3/0
Pusa hispida / PD / C / 5/
11 / 0.5/
1.7 / 60/
100 / 20.0/
74.3 / 40.0/
25.7 / 40/
0 / 0.5/1.6
Erignathus barbatus / BF / C / 5/
0 / 0.5/
0 / 60/
- / 20.0/
- / 40.0/
- / 40/
- / 0.5/0
Ursus maritimus / SF / C / 1/
1 / 0.1/
0.1 / n.a.3 / n.a.3 / n.a.3 / n.a.3 / 0.1/0.1
Table S5 (continued)
Σ SF / 4099/
14792 / 413.2/
2113.3 / 70.4/
73.9 / 67.1/
73.5 / 3.3/
0.4 / 29.6/
26.1 / 475.1/2177.9
Σ BF / 1753/
1943 / 179.0/
277.6 / 21.2/
39.1 / 18.1/
37.0 / 3.1/
2.5 / 78.8/
60.5 / 179.0/281.5
Σ PD / 299/
1981 / 31.1/
283 / 6.8/
0.7 / 5.8/
0.5 / 1.0/
0.2 / 93.2/
99.3 / 193.3/1100.6
Σ CF / 5674/
16617 / 573.6/
2373.9 / 57.1/
70.6 / 54.0/
69.6 / 3.1/
0.5 / 42.9/
29.9 / 573.6/2387.7
Σ PF / 477/
2100 / 49.8/
300 / 6.2/
2.7 / 3.0/
1.8 / 3.2/
0.9 / 93.8/
97.3 / 763.8/1172.3.
birds in total / 6118/
18705 / 620.2/
2672.1 / 53.1/
62.6 / 50.0/
62.0 / 3.1/
0.6 / 46.9/
37.4 / 1190.6/3558.3
mammals in total / 34/
12 / 3.4/
1.7 / 48.5/
100 / 36.4/
74.3 / 12.1/
25.7 / 51.5/
0 / 3.2/ 1.8

1 kittiwakes foraged in Burgerbukta exclusively in coastal waters and were classified as coastal feeders [CF].

2 species using mixed strategies [e.g. C/P] were included to one of them more common.

3 polar bear was observed crossing the fiord swimming in the open water and was not assigned [n.a.] to particular sector.

1