Voyage of the RCMP St. Roch 11: A Journey of Scientific Re-Discovery

该项目包括乘坐一艘加拿大破冰船参加一次穿越西北航道的历史性航行，陪同另一艘船为庆祝加拿大几个历史事件的周年而航行。将在加拿大西北航道的沿海水域进行海洋生物采样计划和相关的环境测量。在巡航期间收集的样本将用于研究底栖动物种群的生物地理格局和生物复杂性。这一区域环境因素和底栖动物种群的基线信息对于比较研究过去十年经历急剧变暖的区域至关重要。气候变暖可能会导致到达海底的碳的质量和数量发生重大变化。将这些数据与未来动物群落的分布进行比较，将能够检查一个可能正在经历重大气候变化的地区的长期生态系统变化，该地区可能受到人类学对环境的影响。

This project involves participation in an historic cruise through the Northwest Passage on a Canadian icebreaker accompanying a second ship that is sailing in celebration of the anniversary of several Canadian historical events. A marine biologic sampling program and associated environmental measurements will be conducted in coastal waters of the Northwest Passage, Canada. The samples collected during the cruise will be used to examine biogeographical patterns and the biocomplexity of benthic faunal populations. The baseline information of environmental factors and benthic populations in this area is critical for comparative studies of an area undergoing dramatic warming during the past decade. The warming may be causing significant changes in the quality and quantity of carbon reaching the seafloor. The comparison of these data to future distributions of faunal assemblages will allow examination of long-term ecosystem change in a area that may be undergoing significant climate change driven by anthropological effects on the environment.