Subtropical anticyclones shape life-history traits of a wind-reliant marine top predator

Abstract

Subtropical anticyclones are semi-permanent atmospheric high-pressure systems located in all major ocean basins and are associated with large-scale wind and weather patterns. They shape the physical environments of many species, yet their demographic impacts on wild populations remain largely unexplored. We combined population and climate analyses to investigate the demographic effects of subtropical anticyclones. Using 39 years of monitoring data on wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans), the "wind rider", breeding in the southern Indian Ocean, we explored the mechanisms linking subtropical anticyclone with demographic rates. We found that an intensified and poleward-shifted Indian Ocean subtropical anticyclone enhances westerly winds, improving survival and reproduction across all life stages in wandering albatrosses. These findings uncover a direct link between subtropical anticyclones and population dynamics, highlighting subtropical anticyclones as potential drivers of wind-reliant taxa responses to climate variability and change.