Victoria Land Latitudinal Gradient Project: Benthic Marine Habitat Characterization

该奖项是南极洲多国和多学科计划的一部分，即维多利亚陆地垂直梯度项目（VLLGP），该项目包括来自意大利南极研究计划（PNRA）和新西兰南极研究计划（ANZ）的科学家。VLLGP的总体目标是对南极洲维多利亚地的生态系统研究采取纬度梯度方法。加州州立大学蒙特雷湾海底测绘实验室的人员将于2004年1月参加“意大利”号考察船为期20天的太平洋西北地区评估局巡航考察。意大利/美国合作的具体目标是：1）确定与纬度有关的环境梯度，并将沿着维多利亚陆地海岸的群落过渡与气候、地貌和海洋特征联系起来; 2)确定代表性生物的生化、生理和其他适应性反应; 3)量化生物多样性模式，检验海洋生物组合随纬度“逐渐出现”的假设; 4）利用与陡峭环境梯度相关的生物变化来预测气候变化的潜在影响。海洋环境监测实验室的作用是利用高分辨率声学遥感（多波束和侧扫声纳）和空间数据建模工具，查明和描述0-200米水深梯度上的海底生境和物种/生境组合沿着的特征。如果要沿着纬度梯度进行有效的群落比较，则每个研究区内生境类型的准确绘图和分类对于选择可比取样地点至关重要。由于罗斯海海岸跨越南极最长的纬度梯度之一（15度），这项研究提供了一个独特的机会，预测和建立一个基线，以检测环境和社区对全球变化和人为干扰的反应。这项工作的更广泛的影响不仅包括努力促进来自不同学科和国家计划的科学家之间的研究，物流和数据管理合作;而且还将为本科生提供参与研究的机会。

This award is part of a multi-national and multidisciplinary program in Antarctica, the Victoria Land Latitudinal Gradient Project (VLLGP), that includes scientists from both the Italian Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) and the Antarctica New Zealand research program (ANZ). The overall goal of the VLLGP is to take a latitudinal gradient approach to ecosystem studies in Victoria Land, Antarctica. Personnel from the California State University Monterey Bay Seafloor Mapping Lab (SFML) will participate in a 20-day PNRA cruise on the R/V Italica during January 2004. The specific goals of the Italian/U.S. collaboration are to: 1) identify the environmental gradients linked to latitude and to relate community transitions along the Victoria Land Coast to climatic, geomorphologic and oceanographic features;. 2) identify biochemical, physiological and other adaptive responses of representative organisms;. 3) quantify biodiversity patterns and test the hypothesis of "progressive emergence" of marine assemblages with latitude; and 4) use biotic changes associated with steep environmental gradients to predict potential effects of climate change. The role of the SFML will be to use high-resolution acoustic remote sensing (multibeam and sidescan sonar) and spatial data modeling tools in the identification and characterization of benthic habitats and species/habitat associations along the gradient from 0-200 m water depth. Accurate mapping and classification of habitat types within each study area will be critical to the selection of comparable sampling sites if valid community comparisons are to be made along the latitudinal gradient. Since the Ross Sea coast extends across one of the longest latitudinal gradients in the Antarctic (15 degrees), this study offers a unique opportunity for predicting and establishing a baseline to detect environmental and community responses to global change and anthropogenic disturbance. The broader impacts of this work include not only efforts to foster research, logistic and data management collaborations among scientists from different disciplinesand national programs; but will also provide the opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in the research.