Long-Term Ecological Research on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem: An Ice-Dominated Environment

浮冰的年进退可能是南极海洋群落结构和功能时空变化的主要物理决定因素。浮冰年度范围的年际周期和/或趋势也可能对食物网的各个层面产生重大影响，从年度初级总产量到海鸟的繁殖成功。历史记录表明，冬季浮冰最大范围的周期为6至8年。在这十年中，1980年和1981年的冬天更冷，1986年和1987年也是如此。阿德利企鹅的越冬存活率在相同的周期内变化，在厚厚的浮冰的冬天更高。这个长期生态研究（LTER）项目将确定每年浮冰的范围与南极海洋群落内不同营养水平的生物动态之间的生态过程。总的重点是南极海洋食物网的代表性种群的年际变化和控制观察到的变化的机制联系，以便得出适用于其他大型海洋环境的更广泛的概括。为了实现这些目标，包括遥感在内的若干空间和时间尺度的数据、包括年度监测方案的实地方法、一系列面向过程的研究巡航、此外，还将采用建模方法，在多个时空尺度上提供生态系统的生物和环境成分之间的联系。

The annual advance and retreat of pack ice may be the major physical determinant of spatial and temporal changes in the structure and function of antarctic marine communities. Interannual cycles and/or trends in the annual extent of pack ice may also have significant effects on all levels of the food web, from total annual primary production to breeding success in seabirds. Historical records indicate a six to eight year cycle in the maximum extent of pack ice in the winter. During this decade, winters were colder in 1980 and 1981, and again in 1986 and 1987. Winter-over survival in Adelie penguins varied on the same cycle, higher in winters with heavy pack ice. This Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project will define ecological processes linking the extent of annual pack ice with the biological dynamics of different trophic levels within antarctic marine communities. The general focus is on interannual variability in representative populations from the antarctic marine food web and on mechanistic linkages that control the observed variability in order to develop broader generalizations applicable to other large marine environments. To achieve these objectives, data from several spatial and temporal scales, including remote sensing, a field approach that includes an annual monitoring program, a series of process-oriented research cruises, and a modeling effort to provide linkages on multiple spatial and temporal scales between biological and environmental components of the ecosystem will be employed.