Extreme events affecting Tasmania’s Shy Albatrosses include heat, rainfall and waves

“Locations of marine predator breeding colonies (yellow circles) and nearby Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Australia weather stations (purple triangles) used in this study.  Values in parentheses indicate the most recent breeding population estimates for each colony: number of live pups for Australian fur seals, number of burrows for short-tailed shearwaters, and number of breeding pairs for shy albatross”

Milan Sojitra (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) and colleagues have published a research article in the journal Science Advances on the effects of extreme weather on three Tasmanian marine “sentinel species,” including the endemic Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Extreme weather events (EWEs) are increasing in both intensity and frequency globally.  For long-lived, slow-reproducing marine predators, repeated or sequential EWE-driven breeding failures can have population-level consequences.  We quantified effects of EWEs on reproductive output and identified temporal windows of vulnerability during breeding in three sentinel species across 14 colonies with varying population trajectories in Tasmania, Australia.  Using long-term breeding datasets and daily weather records, we found that Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus), short-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris), and shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) exhibited species- and colony-specific vulnerabilities.  Storm surges reduced pup production in a low-lying fur seal colony, extreme rainfall lowered shearwater breeding success, and albatross productivity declined with exposure to extreme heat, rainfall, and wave events.  These results highlight the importance of identifying critical extreme weather thresholds and periods of vulnerability to inform ecological forecasting.  Proactive, climate-informed management strategies tailored to specific colonies are needed to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations under accelerating climate change.”

Reference:

Sojitra, M., Corney S., Hemer, M., Bestley, S., Hmilton, S., Thalamann, S. & Lea, M.A. 2026.  Extreme weather effects on marine predator breeding outcomes in a global climate change hotspot.  Science Advances 12. No. 25.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 29 June 2026