Characterizing Antarctic air-breathing predator dive patterns on a common prey base from stationary echosounders

Diving patterns of air-breathing predators were monitored from three moored subsurface upward-looking echosounders. Complete and partial dive profiles were visible on active acoustic records as echoes that started and/or returned to the surface. Dive metrics: maximum dive depths, durations, and wiggle count were measured and angles, distances, and velocities, were calculated at each site. Dive shapes ‘U’, ‘V’ and ‘W’ were derived using the number of wiggles and the percentage of dive bottom time. Dive profiles were classified into four types with type 1 dives being short in total duration and distance, low velocities, small angles, shallow, and linked to ‘U’ and ‘W’ shapes. Type 2 dives were short in distance, had low velocities, shallow depths, and were linked to ‘V’ dives. Dive types 3 and 4 had higher velocities, larger angles, longer total durations, and were deeper than types 1 and 2. Observed dive types could correspond to travelling, exploring, and foraging predator behaviors. Significant predator-prey overlaps occurred with predator dive profile counts correlated with krill aggregation thickness, density, and depth. This study demonstrates the utility of using stationary active acoustics to identify predator dive profiles with a simultaneous characterization of the potential prey field. •Predator dive patterns were characterized from dive profiles visible in active acoustic data records.•Four dive types were identified from hierarchical clustering of dive metrics.•Metrics linked to duration, distances, angles, velocities and maximum depth best characterized dive patterns.•Dive types may correspond to specific predator types or to the behavioral state of diving predators.•Predator dive profiles were correlated with krill aggregation thickness, density and depth.