How Wandering Albatrosses use weather systems to fly long distances. 3. The contributions of Antarctic LOWS to eastward, southward and northward flight

Abstract

When flying directly southwards, Wandering Albatrosses, Diomedea exulans, used the N–NW winds ahead of cold fronts associated with lows, returning northwards in the S–SW winds behind the fronts. Birds flew eastwards in the SW winds between a low and a following high, and in NW winds. In westerlies, they flew north-east or south-east and such flights zigzagged across the ocean. Most of these flights were in weather systems in which Antarctic lows were a dominant component. Where an extensive stationary high develops over the southern Pacific Ocean, a belt of accelerating winds can develop at the southern interface with circulating southern lows, and, in these stronger winds, very rapid eastward transoceanic flights are possible. One albatross flew 1730 km in 1.5 days. A summary is given on how Wandering Albatrosses use the winds of southern oceans to achieve long-distance flights.