Going Global: Internationalising the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey

浮游生物是海洋的“生命之血”，它们在海洋中开展关键的生态服务。这些因素包括形成大多数渔业的主要食物储备，控制气候的能力，以及我们呼吸的一半氧气的产生。浮游植物是微小的生物，通常大小很小，很难采集样本。1931年，阿里斯特·哈代爵士建立了连续浮游生物记录器(CPR)调查，以帮助北海的渔民。记录器由定期航线上的商船拖曳，采集浮游生物，然后在实验室进行分析。由于对浮游生物数据的需求，CPR调查得到了发展，现在每月在北大西洋、北太平洋和北冰洋的两条标准航线上运行。在这些海洋中，受全球变化过程的影响，浮游生物的数量和分布正在发生变化。例如，在北部，大西洋浮游生物在50年内向北移动了1000公里。这是由于污染、海洋酸化和气候变化等大规模过程造成的。这项CPR调查是由英国普利茅斯的阿里斯特·哈代爵士海洋科学基金会管理的。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。在每个案例中，阿里斯特·哈代爵士海洋科学基金会都帮助这些国家建立了自己的调查。这项提议是创建一个全球心肺复苏调查联盟(GAC)，以便实现全球视角。GAC将“不仅仅是各个部分的总和”，因为我们将从一系列互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性挑战所必需的。所要求的资金是为了“推动这一进程，使调查能够协同工作。将建立一个全球数据库，还将建立一个网站和通讯。将设立涉及借调工作人员的培训方案。预计一旦确定和商定工作方式，GAC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.