Using Seabird Diets to Track How Climate Change is Affecting Arctic Ecosystems

University of Victoria Masters student, Jennifer Provencher, studied the effects of climate change on seabirds in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Using historical and current data, she examined changes in the diet of Thick-billed Murres in the low, mid and high Arctic. She collected samples in the summer and spent winters in the lab sorting and identifying fish bones, zooplankton, squid beaks, and some unnatural objects such as plastic and bird shot. By comparing her results with similar studies done in the 70’s and 80’s, she has tracked how their diets have changed through the years as the ice cover has moved.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The event is sponsored by Will Hintz, Dept. of Biology.