NSFGEO-NERC: “Collaborative Research – P2P: Predators to Plankton — Biophysical Controls in Antarctic Polynyas

NSFGEO-NERC合作研究：P2P：捕食者到浮游生物-南极冰间生物物理控制第一部分：非技术描述： 罗斯海是全球重要的生态热点，拥有世界上25%至45%的阿德利企鹅和帝企鹅、南极贼鸥、南极海燕和威德尔海豹。它也是南大洋为数不多的海洋保护区之一，旨在保护其生态系统的运作。为了实现保护，需要参与国际研究和监测计划，更重要的是将企鹅作为捕食者的知识与其栖息地的生物海洋学相结合。该项目将通过评估阿德利企鹅的觅食地和食物选择，获取关于这些物种在当地食物网中的作用的数据，而多传感器海洋滑翔机将自动量化食物网底层的猎物丰度和分布以及海洋特性，包括浮游植物。此外，卫星图像将量化海冰和鲸鱼，已知的企鹅竞争对手，在企鹅的觅食区域。有经验的年轻研究人员将参与这一项目，一个公共宣传计划也将参与其中，该计划每个野外季节将覆盖200多个学校团体，企鹅生态学网站的访问量将超过100万次。有关生态系统变化的经验教训，以及如何衡量，即STEM领域，将得到强调。结果将分发给世界科学和管理界。第二部分：技术说明： 该项目与联合王国国家环境研究理事会合作，评估罗斯海西南部的食物网结构，这是最近建立的罗斯海区域海洋保护区的主要部分，旨在保护该区域的食物网结构、动态和功能。本研究收集的深入、综合的生态信息将有助于该系统的管理。罗斯海西南部，特别是罗斯海波利尼亚（RSP）的边缘冰区，支撑着全球标志性和指示性物种的种群：25%的帝企鹅，30%的阿德利企鹅，50%的南极贼鸥和45%的威德尔海豹。然而，虽然个别良好的研究，这些成员的捕食者的作用一直没有很好地融入罗斯海食物网动态和海洋地球化学的理解。来自多传感器海洋滑翔机、高分辨率卫星图像、饮食分析和企鹅生物记录的信息，如果综合起来，将有助于了解深入调查的RSP地球化学中的“猎物景观”。英国合作者将提供最先进的滑翔机技术，滑翔机编程，压载，操作和专业知识，以评估研究区域的海洋学条件。一些年轻的科学家将参与其中，同时还有一个已经发展起来的推广计划，每年有超过200个K-12学校团体参与，每月有超过一百万的网站访问量。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NSFGEO-NERC Collaborative Research: P2P: Predators to Plankton – Biophysical controls in Antarctic polynyasPart I: Non-technical description: The Ross Sea, a globally important ecological hotspot, hosts 25% to 45% of the world populations of Adélie and Emperor penguins, South Polar skuas, Antarctic petrels, and Weddell seals. It is also one of the few marine protected areas within the Southern Ocean, designed to protect the workings of its ecosystem. To achieve conservation requires participation in an international research and monitoring program, and more importantly integration of what is known about penguin as predators and the biological oceanography of their habitat. The project will acquire data on these species’ role within the local food web through assessing of Adélie penguin feeding grounds and food choices, while multi-sensor ocean gliders autonomously quantify prey abundance and distribution as well as ocean properties, including phytoplankton, at the base of the food web. Additionally, satellite imagery will quantify sea ice and whales, known penguin competitors, within the penguins’ foraging area. Experienced and young researchers will be involved in this project, as will a public outreach program that reaches more than 200 school groups per field season, and with an excess of one million visits to a website on penguin ecology. Lessons about ecosystem change, and how it is measured, i.e. the STEM fields, will be emphasized. Results will be distributed to the world scientific and management communities. Part II: Technical description: This project, in collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK) National Environmental Research Council (NERC), assesses food web structure in the southwestern Ross Sea, a major portion of the recently established Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area that has been designed to protect the region’s food web structure, dynamics and function. The in-depth, integrated ecological information collected in this study will contribute to the management of this system. The southwestern Ross Sea, especially the marginal ice zone of the Ross Sea Polynya (RSP), supports global populations of iconic and indicator species: 25% of Emperor penguins, 30% of Adélie penguins, 50% of South Polar skuas, and 45% of Weddell seals. However, while individually well researched, the role of these members as predators has been poorly integrated into understanding of Ross Sea food web dynamics and biogeochemistry. Information from multi-sensor ocean gliders, high-resolution satellite imagery, diet analysis and biologging of penguins, when integrated, will facilitate understanding of the ‘preyscape’ within the intensively investigated biogeochemistry of the RSP. UK collaborators will provide state-of-the-art glider technology, glider programming, ballasting, and operation and expertise to evaluate the oceanographic conditions of the study area. Several young scientists will be involved, as well as an existing outreach program already developed that reaches annually more than 200 K-12 school groups and has more than one million website visits per month.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.