House mice (Mus musculus L.) were introduced to sub-Antarctic Marion Island more than two centuries ago, and have been the only introduced mammal on the island since 1991 when feral cats were eradicated. The first mouse-injured wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans L.) chick was found in 2003 and since then attacks have continued at a low level affecting <1% of the population. In 2009, the first ‘scalpings’ were detected; sooty albatross (Phoebetria fusca Hilsenberg) fledglings were found with raw wounds on the nape. In 2015, mice attacked large chicks of all three albatross species that fledge in autumn: grey-headed (Thalassarche chrysostoma Forster) (at least 102 wounded chicks; 4.6% of fledglings), sooty (n=45, 4.3%) and light-mantled albatross (P. palpebrata Forster) (n=1, 4%). Filming at night confirmed that mice were responsible for wounds. Attacks started independently in small pockets all around the island’s 70 km coastline, separated by distances hundreds of times greater than mouse home ranges. The widespread nature of mouse attacks in 2015 on large, well-feathered chicks is alarming and highlights not only Marion Island as a priority island for mouse eradication but also that mice alone may significantly affect threatened seabird species.

The study of foraging success in marine predators is complicated by a lack of direct observations and relies mostly on proxy measures of foraging success. This study assessed spatial and temporal patterns of changes in body condition of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Marion Island, based on changes in drift rates (which are related to gains and losses of blubber). Seals showed substantial individual variation in condition changes throughout migrations, which was not explained by age-, sex- or reproductive stages. Substantial variation was also evident in the spatial patterns of condition changes, although an area south of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) between 10°E and 35°E was evidently associated with moderate, yet consistent gains in condition. Seals that foraged more distantly from Marion Island displayed more extreme gains and losses in condition, suggesting a possible risk/reward trade-off associated with foraging further afield versus closer to the island. Increased condition was consistently negatively related to sea surface temperature, suggesting that seals were generally improving their condition faster in cooler water masses. These results support previous studies predicting that continued warming of the Southern Ocean will result in changes to the habitat use patterns exhibited by southern elephant seals at sea.

Knowledge regarding interactions between predators and their prey is fundamental for understanding underlying links between climate change and ecosystem responses, including predator demographics, in the Southern Ocean. This study reports data on reproductive performance, total population size and diet composition for macaroni and chinstrap penguins breeding at Nyrøysa on Bouvetøya during the summers of 1996–97, 1998–99, 2000–01 and 2007–08. The breeding populations of these two species at Nyrøysa decreased significantly over the study period, with an 80% decline for chinstraps and a 50% decline for macaroni penguins, despite relatively high levels of chick production. During this period macaroni penguins at this site ate a diverse diet, dominated by myctophid fish and two krill species, whereas chinstrap penguins were Antarctic krill specialists. The population changes are probably primarily due to the expanding Antarctic fur seal population, and also to landslides that are the result of increased melting on the island which have destroyed penguin breeding sites. Additional impacts from global warming of the ocean might also be playing a role and could exacerbate the decline in these penguin populations if krill and other prey are negatively impacted in the future in this region. The local chinstrap penguin population would probably be most heavily affected given its narrow feeding niche and small current population size.

Data on grain size and heavy mineral composition for surface sediments on the Prydz Bay continental shelf was analysed to identify sediment features and provenance. The grain size composition of surface sediments indicate spatial variations in the glaciomarine environment and the key factors influencing sedimentation, which on the shelf include topography/water depth, currents and icebergs. The study area was divided into two sections by Q-type factor analysis: section I included Prydz Channel, Amery Basin and Svenner Channel, and section II included Four Ladies Bank, Fram Bank and the area in front of the Amery Ice Shelf. Sedimentation in section I is mainly controlled by currents and topography/water depth. However, in section II, icebergs/floating ice masses, the Amery Ice Shelf and currents have prominent effects on sedimentation. The heavy mineral composition indicates that surface sediments on the eastern side of the bay, including Four Ladies Bank, are primarily derived from Princess Elizabeth Land. Sediments in the area in front of the Amery Ice Shelf, Svenner Channel, Amery Basin and Prydz Channel have a mixed source from the eastern regions around the bay, including the Prince Charles Mountains and Princess Elizabeth Land. The contribution from Mac. Robertson Land to sediment at Fram Bank is limited.

A gravity survey was conducted on the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica, during the 2004–05 summer season. The aim of the study was to investigate the subsurface geology of the Windmill Islands area. Ninety-seven gravity stations were established. Additionally, 49 observations from a survey in 1993–94 were re-reduced and merged with the 2004–05 data. A three-dimensional subsurface model was constructed from the merged gravity dataset to determine the subsurface geology of the Windmill Islands. The main country rock in the Windmill Islands is a Garnet-bearing Granite Gneiss. A relatively dense intrusive charnockite unit, the Ardery Charnockite, generates the dominant gravity high of the study area and has been modelled to extend to depths of 7–13 km. It has moderate to steep contacts against the surrounding Garnet-bearing Granite Gneiss. The Ardery Charnockite surrounds a less dense granite pluton, the Ford Granite, which is modelled to a depth of 6–12 km and creates a localized gravity low. This granitic pluton extends at depth towards the east. The modelling process has also shown that Mitchell Peninsula is linked to the adjacent Law Dome ice cap by an ‘ice ramp’ of approximately 100 m thickness.

The aim of the MINERVE project (Mesures à l’INterface Eau-aiR de la Variabilité des Échanges de CO2) is to observe and understand the seasonal and interannual variability of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in surface waters using hydrological and biogeochemical data in the Southern Ocean south of Australia. Logistics routes of the RV Astrolabe provide access to scarcely studied areas, thus allowing us to understand the different processes acting in this area of the Antarctic Ocean. The surface area covered by these cruises, however, is tiny compared with the total surface area of the Antarctic Ocean. Correlations between in situ surface temperature and salinity data were applied to satellite images of sea surface temperature to map ocean surface salinity over a much wider area than under the cruise tracks. Comparisons with salinity data from satellites which provide ~100 km resolution and 0.1 accuracy indicate that we are able to map salinity at 4 km resolution and almost the same accuracy of ± 0.1.

Changes of glaciers and snow cover in polar regions affect a wide range of physical and ecosystem processes on land and in the adjacent marine environment. In this study, we investigated the potential of 11-day repeat high-resolution satellite image time series from the TerraSAR-X mission to derive glaciological and hydrological parameters on King George Island, Antarctica, between 25 October 2010 and 19 April 2011. The spatial pattern and temporal evolution of snow cover extent on ice-free areas can be monitored using multi-temporal coherence images. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) coherence is used to map glacier extent of land-terminating glaciers with an average accuracy of 25 m. Multi-temporal SAR colour composites identify the position of the late summer snow line at ~220 m a.s.l. Glacier surface velocities are obtained from intensity feature-tracking. Surface velocities near the calving front of Fourcade Glacier were up to 1.8±0.01 m d-1. Using an intercept theorem based on fundamental geometric principles together with differential GPS field measurements, the ice discharge of Fourcade Glacier was estimated at 20 700±5500 m3 d-1 (corresponding to ~19±5 kt d-1). The rapidly changing surface conditions on King George Island and the lack of high-resolution digital elevation models for the region remain restrictions for the applicability of SAR data and the precision of derived products. Supplemental data are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.853954.