Why Study Marine Birds?
From the poles to the tropics, marine birds live at the interface between air, land, and sea (or ice). The harsh conditions found in these environments have caused unique adaptations in their physiology and morphology and require enormous flexibility in life history strategies.
Marine birds face multiple ecological and environmental stressors worldwide, including habitat loss and alteration, disturbance, hunting, oil spills, persistent pollutants, ocean acidification, and other issues associated with climate change. Marine birds are considered useful indicators of the general health of the marine ecosystem, and they play an increasingly important role in assessments of marine health.
BRI focuses its research efforts on meeting the conservation needs of marine birds and using these species as bioindicators. Below, we have grouped our primary areas of research emphasis into three nonexclusive areas: (1) contaminants monitoring; (2) movement studies; and (3) surveys and population monitoring.
Program Director:
Contributing Staff:
Highlighted Species We Study
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
Northern Gannet
Black Guilemot
Black Skimmer
Marine Bird Research at BRI
Publications
- “Changes in mercury exposure of marine birds breeding in the Gulf of Maine, 2008-2013,” Marine Pollution Bulletin (2018)
- “Impacts to Wildlife of Wind Energy Siting and Operation in the United States,” The Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Issues in Ecology (2019)
- “Oiling of American white pelicans, common loons, and northern gannets in the winter following the Deepwater Horizon (MC252) oil spill,” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2020)
