RAPID: Assessing Winter Bacterioplankton Distributions and Carbon Cycling as part of AMLR Field Program, August 2012

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The Southern Ocean is experiencing some of the most dramatic changes in temperature in the world, leading to marked shifts in sea ice density and cover. Research has shown that these shifts are causing major changes in the ecology of this region; however, little is known about the effects of these changes in sea ice on winter communities. This research will add a bacterioplankton sampling effort to a United States Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) winter cruise. State-of-the-art quantitative PCR, genomics techniques and bioinformatics will be used to test novel hypotheses about the role of chemolithoautotrophy in winter bacterioplankton communities. The biomass of the plankton across the AMLR survey region will also be determined, and shared with the AMLR group to generate a more comprehensive data set describing state of the winter ecosystem. Results will be widely disseminated through publication as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. In addition, raw data will be made available through open-access databases. As well, this project will contribute to the research and training of a graduate student. Finally, this work will facilitate outreach to the general public through a cruise web blog.