title: Central pacific seabirds and the el nino southern oscillation: 1982 to 1983 perspectives.
abstract: The breeding chronology and reproductive attempts of the seabird community on Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean (2 degrees N, 157 degrees W) were interrupted by the 1982-1983 El Niño Southern Oscillation. The resultant reproductive failure and disappearance of the entire seabird community of this equatorial atoll represents the most dramatic interruption on record of a seabird community located distant from coastal upwelling. Our data indicate the effect that the abiotic and biotic aspects of a global atmospheric-oceanic anomaly have on marine birds. The 1982-1983 El Niño Southern Oscillation provides an example of selective pressures and a natural experiment in the study of vertebrate population dynamics.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Schreiber