Long-Term Ecological Research on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem: An Ice-Dominated Environment

每年浮冰的进退可能是主要的 空间和时间变化的物理决定因素 南极海洋群落的结构和功能。 年范围的年际周期和/或趋势 浮冰也可能对所有级别的 食物网，从每年的初级生产总量到 成功繁殖海鸟。 历史记录显示， 最大积冰范围为六至八年一周期， 冬天 在这十年中，1980年的冬天更冷 1981年，1986年和1987年， 越冬存活率 在阿德利企鹅的变化在同一个周期，更高的 冬天有厚厚的浮冰 长期生态 研究（LTER）项目将定义生态过程 将每年浮冰的范围与生物 南极海洋中不同营养级的动态 社区. 一般的重点是年际 代表性群体的变异性 海洋食物网和控制海洋生物多样性的 观察到的变异性，以开发更广泛的 适用于其他大型海洋 环境. 为了实现这些目标， 几个空间和时间尺度，包括远程 感测，一种实地方法，包括每年 监测计划，一系列的过程为导向的研究 巡航，并进行建模工作， 生物学和生物学之间的多重时空尺度， 将利用生态系统的环境组成部分。

The annual advance and retreat of pack ice may be the major physical determinant of spatial and temporal changes in the structure and function of antarctic marine communities. Interannual cycles and/or trends in the annual extent of pack ice may also have significant effects on all levels of the food web, from total annual primary production to breeding success in seabirds. Historical records indicate a six to eight year cycle in the maximum extent of pack ice in the winter. During this decade, winters were colder in 1980 and 1981, and again in 1986 and 1987. Winter-over survival in Adelie penguins varied on the same cycle, higher in winters with heavy pack ice. This Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project will define ecological processes linking the extent of annual pack ice with the biological dynamics of different trophic levels within antarctic marine communities. The general focus is on interannual variability in representative populations from the antarctic marine food web and on mechanistic linkages that control the observed variability in order to develop broader generalizations applicable to other large marine environments. To achieve these objectives, data from several spatial and temporal scales, including remote sensing, a field approach that includes an annual monitoring program, a series of process-oriented research cruises, and a modeling effort to provide linkages on multiple spatial and temporal scales between biological and environmental components of the ecosystem will be employed.