Workshop to Synthesize Research Priorities in the McMurdo Sound-Ross Sea Region, Antarctica

由于长期生态研究(LTER)计划的建立，麦克默多干河谷的南极淡水生态系统是南极研究最全面的生态系统之一。南极一个研究非常充分的海洋生态系统是麦克默多海湾和紧邻的罗斯海西南部。这是三个国家研究项目(美国、新西兰和意大利)在附近进行了数十年研究的结果，其中包括对环流、海冰变异性、营养物质的可获得性、初级生产力和藻类组成、底栖群落的组成和生产力、底栖群落组织、鱼、鸟和海豹的生态生理学以及海豹和鸟类种群的人口学的深入研究。一些努力已经延长了足够长的时间，以评估环流、海冰和海豹以及鸟类人口统计和海底群落组成的长期、年代际和年际变化；确定了重大的年代际和年际信号。尽管作出了这一努力并收集了生态知识，但麦克默多湾食物网中的一些成分及其联系仍然鲜为人知。这次研讨会将审查过去的研究和目前的理解，以便确定未来几十年的研究主题的优先顺序。此外，研讨会还将审查在麦克默多附近建立长期气候变化研究计划的可行性和价值，以解决不足和充分了解生态系统组成部分之间的关键相互作用，以便能够预测由物理强迫(例如，环流、气候)以及自上而下强迫的大范围变化所驱动的生态变化。将在讨论中讨论教育和公众宣传的更广泛影响。McMurdo Sound LTER计划将补充已经在南极半岛西部运行的LTER计划(Palmer LTER)。此外，McMurdo Sound LTER将利用麦克默多站CRary实验室和USAP人员提供的大量后勤和科学资源。为了评估为麦克默多海峡启动LTER计划的可行性和挑战，研讨会将邀请具有学科和地区专业知识的极地和非极地科学家参加。此外，与会者将包括来自代表性不足群体的科学家和来自国际社会的科学家。讲习班的结果将通过一个网站广泛传播。

The Antarctic freshwater-based ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys is one of the most completely studied ecosystems in Antarctic due to establishment of a Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) program. A very well studied marine ecosystem in the Antarctic is that of McMurdo Sound and the immediately adjacent southwestern Ross Sea. This is the result of several decades of research in the vicinity by three national research programs (the United States, New Zealand and Italy), including in-depth studies of circulation, sea ice variability, nutrient availability, primary productivity and algal composition, composition and productivity of the epontic community, benthic community organization, ecophysiology of fish, birds and seals, and the demography of resident seal and bird populations. A number of efforts have extended long enough through time to have assessed the long-term, decadal and interannual variability in circulation, sea ice and seals and bird demography, and benthic community composition; significant decadal and interannual signals have been identified. Despite this effort and the collection of ecological knowledge, a number of components and their linkages within the food web of McMurdo Sound remain poorly known. This workshop will examine the portfolio of past research and current understanding in order to prioritize research themes for the upcoming decades. In addition, the workshop will also examine the feasibility and value of establishing an LTER program in the vicinity of McMurdo to address deficiencies and to fully understand the critical interactions among ecosystem components so as to be able to predict ecological variations that are driven by large-scale changes in physical forcing (e.g., circulation, climate) as well as top-down forcing. The broader impacts of education and public outreach will be addressed in discussions. A McMurdo Sound LTER program would complement the LTER program already in operation in the western Antarctic Peninsula (Palmer LTER). Moreover, a McMurdo Sound LTER would take advantage of the substantial logistic and scientific resources available through the McMurdo Station Crary Lab and USAP personnel. To assess the feasibility and challenges of initiating an LTER program for McMurdo Sound, the workshop will both polar and non-polar scientists, with discipline and regional expertise. Also, attendees will include scientists from underrepresented groups and scientists from the international community. The results of the workshop will be disseminated broadly via a website.