An Optimal Node Localization in WSN Based on Siege Whale Optimization Algorithm

Localization or positioning scheme in Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is one of the most challenging andfundamental operations in various monitoring or tracking applications because the network deploys a large areaand allocates the acquired location information to unknown devices. The metaheuristic approach is one of themost advantageous ways to deal with this challenging issue and overcome the disadvantages of the traditionalmethods that often suffer from computational time problems and small network deployment scale. This studyproposes an enhanced whale optimization algorithm that is an advanced metaheuristic algorithm based on thesiege mechanism (SWOA) for node localization inWSN. The objective function is modeled while communicatingon localized nodes, considering variables like delay, path loss, energy, and received signal strength. The localizationapproach also assigns the discovered location data to unidentified devices with the modeled objective functionby applying the SWOA algorithm. The experimental analysis is carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of thedesigned localization scheme in terms of various metrics, e.g., localization errors rate, converges rate, and executedtime. Compared experimental-result shows that theSWOA offers the applicability of the developed model forWSNto perform the localization scheme with excellent quality. Significantly, the error and convergence values achievedby the SWOA are less location error, faster in convergence and executed time than the others compared to at least areduced 1.5% to 4.7% error rate, and quicker by at least 4%and 2% in convergence and executed time, respectivelyfor the experimental scenarios.

Multi-Strategy Assisted Multi-Objective Whale Optimization Algorithm for Feature Selection

In classification problems,datasets often contain a large amount of features,but not all of them are relevant for accurate classification.In fact,irrelevant features may even hinder classification accuracy.Feature selection aims to alleviate this issue by minimizing the number of features in the subset while simultaneously minimizing the classification error rate.Single-objective optimization approaches employ an evaluation function designed as an aggregate function with a parameter,but the results obtained depend on the value of the parameter.To eliminate this parameter’s influence,the problem can be reformulated as a multi-objective optimization problem.The Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA)is widely used in optimization problems because of its simplicity and easy implementation.In this paper,we propose a multi-strategy assisted multi-objective WOA(MSMOWOA)to address feature selection.To enhance the algorithm’s search ability,we integrate multiple strategies such as Levy flight,Grey Wolf Optimizer,and adaptive mutation into it.Additionally,we utilize an external repository to store non-dominant solution sets and grid technology is used to maintain diversity.Results on fourteen University of California Irvine(UCI)datasets demonstrate that our proposed method effectively removes redundant features and improves classification performance.The source code can be accessed from the website:https://github.com/zc0315/MSMOWOA.

Model Parameters Identification and Backstepping Control of Lower Limb Exoskeleton Based on Enhanced Whale Algorithm

Exoskeletons generally require accurate dynamic models to design the model-based controller conveniently under the human-robot interaction condition.However,due to unknown model parameters such as the mass,moment of inertia and mechanical size,the dynamic model of exoskeletons is difficult to construct.Hence,an enhanced whale optimization algorithm(EWOA)is proposed to identify the exoskeleton model parameters.Meanwhile,the periodic excitation trajectories are designed by finite Fourier series to input the desired position demand of exoskeletons with mechanical physical constraints.Then a backstepping controller based on the identified model is adopted to improve the human-robot wearable comfortable performance under cooperative motion.Finally,the proposed Model parameters identification and control are verified by a two-DOF exoskeletons platform.The knee joint motion achieves a steady-state response after 0.5 s.Meanwhile,the position error of hip joint response is less than 0.03 rad after 0.9 s.In addition,the steady-state human-robot interaction torque of the two joints is constrained within 15 N·m.This research proposes a whale optimization algorithm to optimize the excitation trajectory and identify model parameters.Furthermore,an enhanced mutation strategy is adopted to avoid whale evolution’s unsatisfactory local optimal value.

MCWOA Scheduler:Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm for Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing provides a diverse and adaptable resource pool over the internet,allowing users to tap into various resources as needed.It has been seen as a robust solution to relevant challenges.A significant delay can hamper the performance of IoT-enabled cloud platforms.However,efficient task scheduling can lower the cloud infrastructure’s energy consumption,thus maximizing the service provider’s revenue by decreasing user job processing times.The proposed Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm called Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm(MCWOA),combines elements of the Chimp Optimization Algorithm(COA)and the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA).To enhance MCWOA’s identification precision,the Sobol sequence is used in the population initialization phase,ensuring an even distribution of the population across the solution space.Moreover,the traditional MCWOA’s local search capabilities are augmented by incorporating the whale optimization algorithm’s bubble-net hunting and random search mechanisms into MCWOA’s position-updating process.This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a two-story rigid frame and a simply supported beam model.Simulated outcomes reveal that the new method outperforms the original MCWOA,especially in multi-damage detection scenarios.MCWOA excels in avoiding false positives and enhancing computational speed,making it an optimal choice for structural damage detection.The efficiency of the proposed MCWOA is assessed against metrics such as energy usage,computational expense,task duration,and delay.The simulated data indicates that the new MCWOA outpaces other methods across all metrics.The study also references the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA),Chimp Algorithm(CA),Ant Lion Optimizer(ALO),Genetic Algorithm(GA)and Grey Wolf Optimizer(GWO).

BHJO: A Novel Hybrid Metaheuristic Algorithm Combining the Beluga Whale, Honey Badger, and Jellyfish Search Optimizers for Solving Engineering Design Problems

Hybridizing metaheuristic algorithms involves synergistically combining different optimization techniques to effectively address complex and challenging optimization problems.This approach aims to leverage the strengths of multiple algorithms,enhancing solution quality,convergence speed,and robustness,thereby offering a more versatile and efficient means of solving intricate real-world optimization tasks.In this paper,we introduce a hybrid algorithm that amalgamates three distinct metaheuristics:the Beluga Whale Optimization(BWO),the Honey Badger Algorithm(HBA),and the Jellyfish Search(JS)optimizer.The proposed hybrid algorithm will be referred to as BHJO.Through this fusion,the BHJO algorithm aims to leverage the strengths of each optimizer.Before this hybridization,we thoroughly examined the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the BWO,HBA,and JS metaheuristics,as well as their ability to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation.This meticulous analysis allowed us to identify the pros and cons of each algorithm,enabling us to combine them in a novel hybrid approach that capitalizes on their respective strengths for enhanced optimization performance.In addition,the BHJO algorithm incorporates Opposition-Based Learning(OBL)to harness the advantages offered by this technique,leveraging its diverse exploration,accelerated convergence,and improved solution quality to enhance the overall performance and effectiveness of the hybrid algorithm.Moreover,the performance of the BHJO algorithm was evaluated across a range of both unconstrained and constrained optimization problems,providing a comprehensive assessment of its efficacy and applicability in diverse problem domains.Similarly,the BHJO algorithm was subjected to a comparative analysis with several renowned algorithms,where mean and standard deviation values were utilized as evaluation metrics.This rigorous comparison aimed to assess the performance of the BHJOalgorithmabout its counterparts,shedding light on its effectiveness and reliability in solving optimization problems.Finally,the obtained numerical statistics underwent rigorous analysis using the Friedman post hoc Dunn’s test.The resulting numerical values revealed the BHJO algorithm’s competitiveness in tackling intricate optimization problems,affirming its capability to deliver favorable outcomes in challenging scenarios.

Hybrid Seagull and Whale Optimization Algorithm-Based Dynamic Clustering Protocol for Improving Network Longevity in Wireless Sensor Networks

Energy efficiency is the prime concern in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs) as maximized energy consumption without essentially limits the energy stability and network lifetime. Clustering is the significant approach essential for minimizing unnecessary transmission energy consumption with sustained network lifetime. This clustering process is identified as the Non-deterministic Polynomial(NP)-hard optimization problems which has the maximized probability of being solved through metaheuristic algorithms.This adoption of hybrid metaheuristic algorithm concentrates on the identification of the optimal or nearoptimal solutions which aids in better energy stability during Cluster Head(CH) selection. In this paper,Hybrid Seagull and Whale Optimization Algorithmbased Dynamic Clustering Protocol(HSWOA-DCP)is proposed with the exploitation benefits of WOA and exploration merits of SEOA to optimal CH selection for maintaining energy stability with prolonged network lifetime. This HSWOA-DCP adopted the modified version of SEagull Optimization Algorithm(SEOA) to handle the problem of premature convergence and computational accuracy which is maximally possible during CH selection. The inclusion of SEOA into WOA improved the global searching capability during the selection of CH and prevents worst fitness nodes from being selected as CH, since the spiral attacking behavior of SEOA is similar to the bubble-net characteristics of WOA. This CH selection integrates the spiral attacking principles of SEOA and contraction surrounding mechanism of WOA for improving computation accuracy to prevent frequent election process. It also included the strategy of levy flight strategy into SEOA for potentially avoiding premature convergence to attain better trade-off between the rate of exploration and exploitation in a more effective manner. The simulation results of the proposed HSWOADCP confirmed better network survivability rate, network residual energy and network overall throughput on par with the competitive CH selection schemes under different number of data transmission rounds.The statistical analysis of the proposed HSWOA-DCP scheme also confirmed its energy stability with respect to ANOVA test.

Optimized Phishing Detection with Recurrent Neural Network and Whale Optimizer Algorithm

Phishing attacks present a persistent and evolving threat in the cybersecurity land-scape,necessitating the development of more sophisticated detection methods.Traditional machine learning approaches to phishing detection have relied heavily on feature engineering and have often fallen short in adapting to the dynamically changing patterns of phishingUniformResource Locator(URLs).Addressing these challenge,we introduce a framework that integrates the sequential data processing strengths of a Recurrent Neural Network(RNN)with the hyperparameter optimization prowess of theWhale Optimization Algorithm(WOA).Ourmodel capitalizes on an extensive Kaggle dataset,featuring over 11,000 URLs,each delineated by 30 attributes.The WOA’s hyperparameter optimization enhances the RNN’s performance,evidenced by a meticulous validation process.The results,encapsulated in precision,recall,and F1-score metrics,surpass baseline models,achieving an overall accuracy of 92%.This study not only demonstrates the RNN’s proficiency in learning complex patterns but also underscores the WOA’s effectiveness in refining machine learning models for the critical task of phishing detection.

Application of Adaptive Whale Optimization Algorithm Based BP Neural Network in RSSI Positioning

The paper proposes a wireless sensor network(WSN)localization algorithm based on adaptive whale neural network and extended Kalman filtering to address the problem of excessive reliance on environmental parameters A and signal constant n in traditional signal propagation path loss models.This algorithm utilizes the adaptive whale optimization algorithm to iteratively optimize the parameters of the backpropagation(BP)neural network,thereby enhancing its prediction performance.To address the issue of low accuracy and large errors in traditional received signal strength indication(RSSI),the algorithm first uses the extended Kalman filtering model to smooth the RSSI signal values to suppress the influence of noise and outliers on the estimation results.The processed RSSI values are used as inputs to the neural network,with distance values as outputs,resulting in more accurate ranging results.Finally,the position of the node to be measured is determined by combining the weighted centroid algorithm.Experimental simulation results show that compared to the standard centroid algorithm,weighted centroid algorithm,BP weighted centroid algorithm,and whale optimization algorithm(WOA)-BP weighted centroid algorithm,the proposed algorithm reduces the average localization error by 58.23%,42.71%,31.89%,and 17.57%,respectively,validating the effectiveness and superiority of the algorithm.

Hybrid Prairie Dog and Beluga Whale Optimization Algorithm for Multi-Objective Load Balanced-Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing Environments

The cloud computing technology is utilized for achieving resource utilization of remotebased virtual computer to facilitate the consumers with rapid and accurate massive data services.It utilizes on-demand resource provisioning,but the necessitated constraints of rapid turnaround time,minimal execution cost,high rate of resource utilization and limited makespan transforms the Load Balancing(LB)process-based Task Scheduling(TS)problem into an NP-hard optimization issue.In this paper,Hybrid Prairie Dog and Beluga Whale Optimization Algorithm(HPDBWOA)is propounded for precise mapping of tasks to virtual machines with the due objective of addressing the dynamic nature of cloud environment.This capability of HPDBWOA helps in decreasing the SLA violations and Makespan with optimal resource management.It is modelled as a scheduling strategy which utilizes the merits of PDOA and BWOA for attaining reactive decisions making with respect to the process of assigning the tasks to virtual resources by considering their priorities into account.It addresses the problem of pre-convergence with wellbalanced exploration and exploitation to attain necessitated Quality of Service(QoS)for minimizing the waiting time incurred during TS process.It further balanced exploration and exploitation rates for reducing the makespan during the task allocation with complete awareness of VM state.The results of the proposed HPDBWOA confirmed minimized energy utilization of 32.18% and reduced cost of 28.94% better than approaches used for investigation.The statistical investigation of the proposed HPDBWOA conducted using ANOVA confirmed its efficacy over the benchmarked systems in terms of throughput,system,and response time.

Multi-strategy hybrid whale optimization algorithms for complex constrained optimization problems

A multi-strategy hybrid whale optimization algorithm(MSHWOA)for complex constrained optimization problems is proposed to overcome the drawbacks of easily trapping into local optimum,slow convergence speed and low optimization precision.Firstly,the population is initialized by introducing the theory of good point set,which increases the randomness and diversity of the population and lays the foundation for the global optimization of the algorithm.Then,a novel linearly update equation of convergence factor is designed to coordinate the abilities of exploration and exploitation.At the same time,the global exploration and local exploitation capabilities are improved through the siege mechanism of Harris Hawks optimization algorithm.Finally,the simulation experiments are conducted on the 6 benchmark functions and Wilcoxon rank sum test to evaluate the optimization performance of the improved algorithm.The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has more significant improvement in optimization accuracy,convergence speed and robustness than the comparison algorithm.

Considerable increase in bowhead,blue,humpback and fin whales numbers in the Greenland Sea and Fram Strait between 1979 and 2014

In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowbead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic ＂stock＂ was observed from 2005 on, by a factor 30 and more： from 0.0002 per count between 1979 and 2003 （one individual, n=5430 cotmts） to 0.06 per count from 2005 to 2014 （34 individuals, n=6000 counts）; the most significant part of the increase occurred from 2007 on. Other large whale species （Mysticeti） showed a similar pattern, mainly blue Balaenoptera musculus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus. This large and abrupt increase cannot logically be due to population growth, nor to survival of a hidden ＂relic＂ population, nor to a changing geographical distribution within the European Arctic, taking into account the importance of the coverage during this study. Our interpretation is that individuals passed through the Northwest and/or Northeast Passages from the larger Pacific stock into the almost depleted North Atlantic populations coinciding with a period of very low ice coverage -- at the time the lowest ever recorded. In contrast, no clear evolution was detected neither for sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus nor for Minke whale Balaenoptera acusrostrata.

Identification of Antarctic minke and killer whales with passive acoustic monitoring in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

Although four species of odontocete and four species of baleen whale have been recorded in Prydz Bay,their vocalizations have been rarely investigated.Underwater vocalizations were recorded during March 2017 in Prydz Bay,Antarctica.Bio-duck sounds,downsweeps,inverted“u”shape signals,whistles,pulsed sounds,and broadband clicks were recorded.Bio-duck sounds and downsweeps were associated with Antarctic minke whales(Balaenoptera bonaerensis)based on visual observations.Similarities between inverted“u”shape signals,biphonic calls,and clicks with vocalizations previously described for killer whales(Orcinus orca)lead us believe the presence of Antarctic killer whales.According to sound structures,signal characteristics,and recording location,Antarctic type C killer whales were the most probable candidates to produce these detected calls.These represent the fi rst detection of inverted“u”shape signals in Antarctic waters,and the fi rst report of Antarctic killer whale in Prydz Bay based on passive acoustic monitoring.The co-existence of Antarctic minke and killer whales may imply that minke whales can detect diff erences between the sounds of mammal-eating and fi sh-eating killer whales.Our descriptions of these underwater vocalizations contribute to the limited body of information regarding the distribution and acoustic behavior of cetaceans in Prydz Bay.

Approximating home ranges of humpback and fin whales in Drake Passage and Antarctica

Identifying home ranges—those areas traversed by individuals in their normal foraging,mating,and parenting activities—is an important aspect of cetacean study.Understanding these ranges facilitates identification of resource use and conservation.Fin and humpback whales occur in Antarctica during the austral summer,but information regarding their home ranges is limited.Using opportunistically collected whale sighting data from eight consecutive summer seasons spanning 2010–2017,we approximate the home ranges of humpback and fin whales around Drake Passage(DRA),West of Antarctic Peninsula(WAP),South Shetland Islands(SSI),an area northwest of the Weddell Sea(WED),and around the South Orkney Islands(SOI).Approximate home ranges are identified using Kernel Density Estimation(KDE).Most fin whales occurred north and northwest of the SOI,which suggests that waters near these islands support concentrations of this species.Most humpback whales were observed around the SSI,but unlike fin whales,their distributions were highly variable in other areas.KDE suggests spatial segregation in areas where both species exist such as SOI,SSI,and WPA.Partial redundancy analysis(pRDA)suggests that the distributions of these species are more affected by spatial variables(latitude,longitude)than by local scale variables such as sea surface temperature and depth.This study presents a visual approximation of the home ranges of fin and humpback whales,and identifies variation in the effects of space and environmental variables on the distributions of these whales at different spatial scales.

Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm Based on Mirror Selection

Since traditional whale optimization algorithms have slow convergence speed,low accuracy and are easy to fall into local optimal solutions,an improved whale optimization algorithm based on mirror selection(WOA-MS)is proposed. Specific improvements includes:(1)An adaptive nonlinear inertia weight based on Branin function was introduced to balance global search and local mining.(2) A mirror selection method is proposed to improve the individual quality and speed up the convergence. By optimizing several test functions and comparing the experimental results with other three algorithms,this study verifies that WOA-MS has an excellent optimization performance.

An Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm for Feature Selection

Whale optimization algorithm(WOA)is a new population-based meta-heuristic algorithm.WOA uses shrinking encircling mechanism,spiral rise,and random learning strategies to update whale’s positions.WOA has merit in terms of simple calculation and high computational accuracy,but its convergence speed is slow and it is easy to fall into the local optimal solution.In order to overcome the shortcomings,this paper integrates adaptive neighborhood and hybrid mutation strategies into whale optimization algorithms,designs the average distance from itself to other whales as an adaptive neighborhood radius,and chooses to learn from the optimal solution in the neighborhood instead of random learning strategies.The hybrid mutation strategy is used to enhance the ability of algorithm to jump out of the local optimal solution.A new whale optimization algorithm(HMNWOA)is proposed.The proposed algorithm inherits the global search capability of the original algorithm,enhances the exploitation ability,improves the quality of the population,and thus improves the convergence speed of the algorithm.A feature selection algorithm based on binary HMNWOA is proposed.Twelve standard datasets from UCI repository test the validity of the proposed algorithm for feature selection.The experimental results show that HMNWOA is very competitive compared to the other six popular feature selection methods in improving the classification accuracy and reducing the number of features,and ensures that HMNWOA has strong search ability in the search feature space.

Detection of Lung Tumor Using ASPP-Unet with Whale Optimization Algorithm

The unstructured growth of abnormal cells in the lung tissue creates tumor.The early detection of lung tumor helps the patients avoiding the death rate and gives better treatment.Various medical image modalities can help the physicians in the diagnosis of disease.Many research works have been proposed for the early detection of lung tumor.High computation time and misidentification of tumor are the prevailing issues.In order to overcome these issues,this paper has proposed a hybrid classifier of Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling(ASPP)-Unet architecture withWhale Optimization Algorithm(ASPP-Unet-WOA).To get a fine tuning detection of tumor in the Computed Tomography(CT)of lung image,this model needs pre-processing using Gabor filter.Secondly,feature segmentation is done using Guaranteed Convergence Particle Swarm Optimization.Thirdly,feature selection is done using Binary Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm.This proposed(ASPPUnet-WOA)is implemented in the dataset of National Cancer Institute(NCI)Lung Cancer Database Consortium.Various performance metric measures are evaluated and compared to the existing classifiers.The accuracy of Deep Convolutional Neural Network(DCNN)is 93.45%,Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)is 91.67%,UNet obtains 95.75%and ASPP-UNet-WOA obtains 98.68%.compared to the other techniques.

A Whale Optimization Algorithm with Distributed Collaboration and Reverse Learning Ability

Due to the development of digital transformation,intelligent algorithms are getting more and more attention.The whale optimization algorithm(WOA)is one of swarm intelligence optimization algorithms and is widely used to solve practical engineering optimization problems.However,with the increased dimensions,higher requirements are put forward for algorithm performance.The double population whale optimization algorithm with distributed collaboration and reverse learning ability(DCRWOA)is proposed to solve the slow convergence speed and unstable search accuracy of the WOA algorithm in optimization problems.In the DCRWOA algorithm,the novel double population search strategy is constructed.Meanwhile,the reverse learning strategy is adopted in the population search process to help individuals quickly jump out of the non-ideal search area.Numerical experi-ments are carried out using standard test functions with different dimensions(10,50,100,200).The optimization case of shield construction parameters is also used to test the practical application performance of the proposed algo-rithm.The results show that the DCRWOA algorithm has higher optimization accuracy and stability,and the convergence speed is significantly improved.Therefore,the proposed DCRWOA algorithm provides a better method for solving practical optimization problems.

Improved Whale Optimization with Local-Search Method for Feature Selection

Various feature selection algorithms are usually employed to improve classification models’overall performance.Optimization algorithms typically accompany such algorithms to select the optimal set of features.Among the most currently attractive trends within optimization algorithms are hybrid metaheuristics.The present paper presents two Stages of Local Search models for feature selection based on WOA(Whale Optimization Algorithm)and Great Deluge(GD).GD Algorithm is integrated with the WOA algorithm to improve exploitation by identifying the most promising regions during the search.Another version is employed using the best solution found by the WOA algorithm and exploited by the GD algorithm.In addition,disruptive selection(DS)is employed to select the solutions from the population for local search.DS is chosen to maintain the diversity of the population via enhancing low and high-quality solutions.Fifteen(15)standard benchmark datasets provided by the University of California Irvine(UCI)repository were used in evaluating the proposed approaches’performance.Next,a comparison was made with four population-based algorithms as wrapper feature selection methods from the literature.The proposed techniques have proved their efficiency in enhancing classification accuracy compared to other wrapper methods.Hence,the WOA can search effectively in the feature space and choose the most relevant attributes for classification tasks.

Mango Pest Detection Using Entropy-ELM with Whale Optimization Algorithm

Image processing,agricultural production,andfield monitoring are essential studies in the researchfield.Plant diseases have an impact on agricultural production and quality.Agricultural disease detection at a preliminary phase reduces economic losses and improves the quality of crops.Manually identifying the agricultural pests is usually evident in plants;also,it takes more time and is an expensive technique.A drone system has been developed to gather photographs over enormous regions such as farm areas and plantations.An atmosphere generates vast amounts of data as it is monitored closely;the evaluation of this big data would increase the production of agricultural production.This paper aims to identify pests in mango trees such as hoppers,mealybugs,inflorescence midges,fruitflies,and stem borers.Because of the massive volumes of large-scale high-dimensional big data collected,it is necessary to reduce the dimensionality of the input for classify-ing images.The community-based cumulative algorithm was used to classify the pests in the existing system.The proposed method uses the Entropy-ELM method with Whale Optimization to improve the classification in detecting pests in agricul-ture.The Entropy-ELM method with the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA)is used for feature selection,enhancing mango pests’classification accuracy.Support Vector Machines(SVMs)are especially effective for classifying while users get var-ious classes in which they are interested.They are created as suitable classifiers to categorize any dataset in Big Data effectively.The proposed Entropy-ELM-WOA is more capable compared to the existing systems.

Major hotspots detected along the Scotia Ridge in autumn for southern right whales Eubalaena australis, Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella and Antarctic prions Pachyptila desolata

We investigated the role of hydrological features, such as water masses, fronts, eddies, and sea ice, in affecting the distribution of upper trophic level species in the Scotia Sea region during autumn. On board RV Polarstern, we performed 365 30-min strip transects recording seabirds and marine mammals along the North Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich Trench in March--April 2013. Among the 7 identified cetacean species recorded, the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae was the most abundant baleen whale （40 individuals）, and noteworthy were sightings of six southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Pinnipeds （3 species, 1650 individuals） were dominated by Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella （99%）, and seabirds （36 species, 18900 individuals） by Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata （-50%）. The distribution of these top predators was highly patchy with the majority of observations concentrated in a few counts. This heterogeneity is likely a result of prey availability, and we discuss how hydrological features may have caused the patchiness.