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

由于长期生态研究项目的建立，南极麦克默多干谷的淡水生态系统是南极研究最全面的生态系统之一。南极麦克默多湾和紧邻的西南罗斯海的海洋生态系统得到了很好的研究。这是三个国家（美国、新西兰和意大利）在附近地区几十年研究的结果，包括对环流、海冰变异性、养分有效性、初级生产力和藻类组成、时代群落的组成和生产力、底栖生物群落组织、鱼类、鸟类和海豹的生态生理学，以及海豹和鸟类种群的人口统计学的深入研究。一些努力已经持续了足够长的时间，以评估环流、海冰和海豹、鸟类人口和底栖生物群落组成的长期、年代际和年际变化；已查明重要的年代际和年际信号。尽管有了这些努力和生态知识的收集，麦克默多湾食物网中的许多组成部分及其联系仍然鲜为人知。本次研讨会将审查过去的研究组合和当前的理解，以便优先考虑未来几十年的研究主题。此外，研讨会还将研究在麦克默多附近建立LTER计划的可行性和价值，以解决不足之处，并充分了解生态系统组成部分之间的关键相互作用，从而能够预测由大规模物理强迫（如环流、气候）和自上而下强迫驱动的生态变化。教育和公众宣传的更广泛影响将在讨论中讨论。麦克默多峡湾LTER项目将补充已经在南极半岛西部运行的LTER项目（帕尔默LTER）。此外，麦克默多声音LTER将利用麦克默多站大气实验室和USAP人员提供的大量后勤和科学资源。为了评估启动麦克默多湾LTER计划的可行性和挑战，研讨会将包括极地和非极地科学家，他们具有学科和区域专业知识。此外，与会者将包括来自代表性不足群体的科学家和国际社会的科学家。讲习班的成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.