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SITE NAME
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Sandoen, Young Sound, Northeast Greenland, Denmark
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| +45-35321341/+45-35321250 // nlevermann@bi.ku.dk // Dept. of Population Biology, Institute of Biology, Univ. of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Cost-benefit analysis of the Arctic tern
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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7.07
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3.08
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2
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Snow cover reduced to 50% in early July and completely melted on flate areas on 26 July. There are no rivers on the island, but ice in the fjord broke on 23 July. More snow was present on land, and late sea-ice break-up, but otherwise normal weather conditions.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
early July
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
26.07
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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| We studied the behavioural patterns in a year with late sea ice break-up and regular predator visits to the colony. We found that breeding initiation of Arctic Terns and Sabine's Gulls was delayed until the breeding attempt was given up and the colony abandoned. However, the birds did not leave the region but returned to the colony soon after sea ice break-up although egg-laying was not initiated. This indicates that sea ice occurrence alone did not cause breeding failure, but frequent visits by an Arctic Fox adversely affected breeding success.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Rodents were not present on the island.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
Paper submitted to Journal of Ornithology November 2006.
Other references: Meltofte H (1997-2006) Birds - Sandoen in "Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations, ZERO" 2nd-11th Annual Report, 1996-2005 Danish Polar Center, Ministry of Research & Information Technology. ZERO (2006) Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations. http://www.zackenberg.dk/data.htm.
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