Active dispersal in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) during the 'lost years'.

ABSTRACT: Highly migratory marine species can travel long distances and across entire ocean basins to reach foraging and breeding grounds, yet gaps persist in our knowledge of oceanic dispersal and habitat use. This is especially true for sea turtles, whose complex life history and lengthy pelagic stage present unique conservation challenges. Few studies have explored how these young at-sea turtles navigate their environment, but advancements in satellite technology and numerical models have shown that active and passive movements are used in relation to open ocean features. Here, we provide the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to simultaneously combine a high-resolution physical forcing ocean circulation model with long-term multi-year tracking data of young, trans-oceanic North Pacific l

SUBMITTER: Briscoe DK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4920322 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature