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Knowledge of how animals respond to weather and changes in their physical environment is increasingly important given the higher frequency of extreme weather recorded in recent years and its forecasted increase globally 1,2. Even species considered to be highly adapted to extremes of weather, as albatrosses are to strong winds 3–5, may be disadvantaged by shifts in those extremes. Tracked albatrosses were shown recently to avoid storms and the strongest associated winds 6. The drivers of this response are so far unknown, though we hypothesise that turbulent storm conditions restrict foraging success, possibly by reducing the detectability or accessibility of food, and albatrosses divert towards more profitable conditions where possible. We tested the impact of physical environment - wind speed, rainfall, water clarity, and time of day - on feeding activity and success of two species of albatrosses with contrasting foraging strategies. We tracked 33 wandering and 48 black-browed albatrosses from Bird Island (South Georgia) with GPS and immersion loggers, and 19 and 7 individuals respectively with stomach-temperature loggers to record ingestions, providing an in-depth picture of foraging behaviour. Reduced foraging profitability (probability of prey capture and overall mass) was associated with stormy conditions, specifically strong winds and heavy rain in surface-seizing wandering albatrosses, and probability of prey capture was reduced in strong winds in black-browed albatrosses. We show that even highly wind-adapted species may frequently encounter conditions that make foraging difficult, giving context to storm avoidance in albatrosses. 

Nucleosynthesis in the ν p-process occurs in regions of slightly proton-rich nuclei in the neutrino-driven wind of core-collapse supernovae. The process proceeds via a sequence of (p, γ ) and (n,p) reactions, and depending on the conditions, may produce elements between Ni and Sn. Recent studies show that a few key (n,p) reactions regulate the efficiency of the neutrino-p process ( ν p-process). We performed a study of one of such (n,p) reactions via the measurement of the reverse (p,n) in inverse kinematics with SECAR at NSCL/FRIB.Such proton-induced reaction measurements are particularly challenging, as the recoils and the unreacted projectiles have nearly identical masses. An appropriate separation level can be achieved with SECAR, and along with the incoincidence detection of neutrons these measurements become attainable. The preparation of the SECAR system for accommodating its first (p,n) reaction measurement, including the development of alternative ion beam optics, and the setup of the in-coincidence neutron detection, along with discussion on preliminary results from the p( 58 Fe,n) 58 Co reaction measurement are presented and discussed. 

The formation of nuclei in slightly proton-rich regions of the neutrino-driven wind of core-collapse supernovae could be attributed to the neutrino-p process (νp-process). As it proceeds via a sequence of (p,γ) and (n,p) reactions, it may produce elements in the range of Ni and Sn, considering adequate conditions. Recent studies identify a number of decisive (n,p) reactions that control the efficiency of the νp-process. The study of one such (n,p) reaction via the measurement of the reverse (p,n) in inverse kinematics was performed with SECAR at NSCL/FRIB. Proton-induced reaction measurements, especially at the mass region of interest, are notably difficult since the recoils have nearly identical masses as the unreacted projectiles. Such measurements are feasible with the adequate separation level achieved with SECAR, and the in-coincidence neutron detection. Adjustments of the SECAR system for the first (p,n) reaction measurement included the development of new ion beam optics, and the installation of the neutron detection system. The aforementioned developments along with a discussion on the preliminary results of the p( 58 Fe,n) 58 Co reaction measurement are presented.