Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

A Census of Antarctic Marine Life – to be conducted under the auspices of the international Census of Marine Life (CoML - see www.coml.org)  (CAML Census of Antarctic Marine Life)

Outline
Polar regions experience greater rates of climate change than elsewhere on the planet. The fauna of the regions are uniquely adapted to the extreme environments in which they exist, and may be vulnerable to shifts in climate. There is an urgent need to establish the state of these communities, and in particular their diversity, if we are to understand the impact of climate change. Current knowledge of Antarctica’s marine biodiversity is patchy. For the most part almost nothing is known about the mesopelagic, bathy/abysso-pelagic and benthic fauna of the slopes and deep-sea abyssal plains. Practically nothing is known about the tiny organisms (bacteria, archaea, eukaryl protists, viruses, nanoplankton) in the sea wherever they occur and in whatever habitats, or about the faunas associated with hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and seamounts. CAML is a 5-year project that will focus the attention of the public on the ice-bound oceans of Antarctica during the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/08. Its objective is to study the evolution of life in Antarctic waters to determine how this has influenced the diversity of the present biota, and to use these observations to predict how it might respond to future change. The project will integrate knowledge across all regions, biomes, habitats and fields of study to strengthen our knowledge of ecosystem dynamics in this high latitude, frozen ocean system, and only through a multi-scale level of investigation will a better understanding of the diversity and status of Antarctica’s marine life be obtained. While planning for the specific science projects within CAML is as yet incomplete, the census will: 1. Undertake a species inventory of the Antarctic slopes and abyssal plains2. Undertake an inventory of benthic fauna under disintegrating ice shelves3. Undertake an inventory of plankton, nekton and sea-ice associated biota at all levels of biological organisation from viruses to vertebrates4. Assess critical habitats for Antarctic top predators5. Develop a coordinated network of interoperable databases for all Antarctic biodiversity dataThe CAML will leave legacy sites for future comparability studies. It will employ modern genomic scientific techniques and contribute to the Barcode of Life project as well as integrating with other CoML projects. In particular the CAML will interact very strongly with the Arctic Ocean Diversity project (ArcOD), drawing comparisons between differences in ecological structure and dynamics between the Arctic and Southern Oceans.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Theme #1 The CAML will provide rich data on the state of diversity of marine life around Antarctica. Attention will be paid to those marine habitats under-represented in the literature. Theme #2 The CAML will provide a benchmark for tracking future change in the Antarctic marine environment. With reference to earlier “Discovery” voyages some assessment can be made of faunal changes occurring over the past 60-70 years. Legacy sampling sites can be revisited in the future for further comparisons.Theme #3 CAML will address basic questions concerning speciation in Antarctic waters and species distribution/ocean current interactions.Theme #4 The CAML can confidently be expected to reveal many species new to science.It will establish a comprehensive Antarctic marine database, aligned with the OBIS database.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The essential element of CAML is its international structure. It can work only through international collaboration as the ships of many nations are required. The CAML Steering Committee is particularly keen that young researchers should have the opportunity to participate, both at sea and in subsequent data analysis.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The CAML Steering Committee hopes for as wide a coverage around Antarctica as is possible, but recognises that national operators will want to remain in their ‘normal’ areas. Ideally ships would be deployed in all three ocean sectors (Indian, Atlantic and Pacific).

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 08/07-04/08            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
CAML will require the use of ships capable of working in Antarctic waters. Not all need to have ice-breaking capacity. The CAML requires a mixture of biological and physical science research to be undertaken. Buoys/moorings could be deployed, recovered etc for other projects. Discussions are in hand with proponents of a comprehensive Southern Ocean physical science survey.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
No, but CAML will leave some legacy sampling sites (identifiable by GPS) that can be re-sampled at intervals in the future in order to track changes in marine biodiversity. It will leave collections of marine specimens that may be used for biological research for many years to come.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Other sources of support

The potential for engaging Antarctic tourist vessels in some aspects of the field observation is being investigated.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes, The CAML is endorsed by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and is an integral part of its program “Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica”. SCAR has appointed a Scientific Steering Committee to plan the CAML. The Alfred P Sloan Foundation (NY, USA) has agreed to fund coordination activities from January 2005 for 5 years with a grant of about US$1.4 million. The Census has been endorsed by the international Census of Marine Life.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?

The CAML is a new project that falls into a series of related projects comprising the decade-long CoML. CAML will run for 5 years (2005-2009) with coordinated field operations in 2007-2008, and will comprise the part of the wider CoML that deals with the Southern Ocean.

How will the project be organised and managed?
A SCAR-appointed Scientific Steering Committee is charged with planning the CAML. This group met in October 2004 and will meet again in May 2005, augmented with 30-40 marine biology specialists from around the world. The Sloan Foundation is contributing US$1.4 million for coordination activities, including a full-time Project Manager who will work at the Australian Antarctic Division. The Chief Scientist of Australia’s Antarctic program will be Project Administrator. Coordination funds will be managed by SCAR.Following the May 2005 meeting a series of small groups will be formed to plan for the various components of the CAML. The Steering Committee will meet twice annually to review progress and ensure full integration with other CoML activities and data management activities.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
It is planned to launch a website on CAML in early 2005. The use of underwater video will provide for a rich stream of pictorial material. A TV production company will be approached with a view to making a comprehensive before-during-and after documentary of CAML.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
SCAR has adopted the development of SCAR-MarBIN; a marine biodiversity information network. Based in Brussels, the Belgian Government has committed five-person-years to the development of an Antarctic marine biodiversity database. This will provide data to the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), as is required by CoML.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
CAML will be a very expensive project. Informally we are aware of 18 nations that might offer ship time to the CAML. Work during 2005 with the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) will identify the amount of ship-time and the areas in which those ships will operate during the field-work phase of CAML. A Science Plan will be developed during May 2005 which will be actively promoted within Antarctic nations and marine science organisations. It is anticipated that researchers in many countries will choose to join a particular part of the science program and will then seek funds through their national funding agencies. Funds for the coordination of CAML, including travel funds for planning meetings, technical data and taxonomic workshops will be met by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in the USA, under the CoML program. US$525,000 has been granted as the first tranche of US$1.4 million to fund coordination from January 2005 until December 2009.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the sea floor. The CAML will focus the attention of the public on the ice-bound oceans around Antarctica to determine the present state of its biodiversity. This will be used to predict how the oceans will respond to future change. It will integrate knowledge across all regions, biomes, habitats and fields of study to strengthen our knowledge of ocean biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.The coincidence of the IPY and the CoML makes CAML possible - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conduct a comprehensive study of the evolution and biology of this vast and fascinating region of the Earth.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Professor Michael Stoddart
Australian Antarctic Division
Channel Highway
KINGSTON, Tasmania
7050
Australia

Tel: +61 3 6232 3205
Mobile: +409 854 847
Fax: +61 3 6232 3583
Email:

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Other Information