Understanding Global Climate Change Through Breakthroughs in Polar Research

The ice-ocean around Antarctica is a species rich and highly productive ecosystem. Recent studies by the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) have shed new light on the wealth of marine fauna in the region ranging from the shallows to the deep sea and discovered unexpectedly high numbers of previously unknown species. Antarctica is one of the fastest warming regions on earth, however, little is known of how any future changes in temperature and oceanography will affect this unique and complex biome. Using the data compiled by CAML we now have a robust baseline against which future changes in species distribution may be judged.