Going Global: Internationalising the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey

浮游生物是海洋的“生命血液”，它们在那里提供关键的生态服务。浮游生物是一种非常微小的生物，通常只有很小的体积，很难取样。1931年，阿利斯特哈代爵士建立了连续浮游生物记录仪（CPR）调查，以帮助北海的渔民。记录器由商船在定期航线上拖曳，收集浮游生物，然后在实验室进行分析。由于对浮游生物数据的需求，CPR调查已经发展壮大，现在每月在北大西洋、北太平洋和北冰洋的标准拖曳路线上开展工作。在这些海洋中，浮游生物的丰度和分布受到全球变化过程的影响而发生变化。例如，在北大西洋，浮游生物在50年内向北移动了1000公里。这是由于大规模的过程，如污染，海洋酸化和气候变化。CPR调查由英国普利茅斯的阿利斯特哈代爵士海洋科学基金会管理。在过去的15年里，澳大利亚，新西兰，美国，加拿大和中国都建立了独立的调查。南非、纳米比亚和巴西希望建立自己的调查。阿利斯特哈代爵士海洋科学基金会帮助这些国家建立了自己的调查，这项建议是建立一个全球CPR调查联盟，以便实现全球视角。GACS将“超过单个部分的总和”，因为我们将从一系列不相关的调查转向全球视角。这是应对气候、渔业、污染和海洋酸化等全球挑战所必需的。所要求的资金是“推动这一进程，使调查能够共同工作。将建立一个全球数据库以及一个网站和通讯。将设立涉及借调工作人员的培训机构。预计一旦确定和商定工作方式，GACS将能够自我维持。

Plankton are the 'life blood' of the oceans where they carry out key ecological services. These include forming the main food stock of most fisheries, the ability to control our climate and the generation of half the oxygen we breathe.Plankton are tiny organisms, generally microscopic in size and are difficult to sample. In 1931 Sir Alister Hardy set up the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey to help fishermanin the North Sea. The recorder is towed by merchant navy vessels on regular routes collecting plankton that are then analysed in the laboratory. Because of the demand for plankton data, the CPR Survey has grown and now operates at monthly frequency on standard tow routes in the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In these oceans plankton are changing their abundance and distribution influenced by global change processes. For instance in the North Atalntic plankton have moved 1000 km northwards in 5 decades. This is due to large scale processes such as pollution, ocean acidification and climate change. The CPR SUrvey is managed by the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science in Plymouth UK.In the last 15 years, independent Surveys have been set up in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and China. South Africa, Namibia and Brazil wish to set up their own surveys. In each case the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science has helped these countries to set up their own surveys.This proposal is to create a Global Alliance for CPR Surveys (GACS) so that a global perspective can be achieved. GACS will be 'more than the sum of the individual parts' since we will move from a series of disconnected surveys towards a global perspective. This is needed to tackle the global challenges of climate, fisheries, pollution, and ocean acidification. The funding requested is to 'pump prime this process to enable the surveys to work together. A global database will be set up as will a website and newsletter. Training progarmmes involving secondment of staff will be set up. It is anticipated that GACS will be self sustaining once it is set and the way of working has been agreed.