Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML)New Zealand is conducting a major survey of biological diversity of the Ross Sea as part of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) and International Polar Year (IPY). Scientists and crew took part in an eight-week voyage aboard RV Tangaroa in February–March 2008. They sampled the marine ecosystem from the sea surface to the seabed, from mega-size to microscopic, across a wide range of environmental and geographic gradients in the Ross Sea region. The survey covered habitats ranging from the ice-scoured shelf to offshore seamounts and the abyss. The voyage was part of CAML’s 2007–08 circumpolar census involving more than a dozen vessels from 23 nations – the largest Antarctic marine biodiversity survey ever. CAML aims to develop a robust benchmark of the distribution and abundance of marine biodiversity in Antarctic waters, against which future change in the marine environment can be assessed. The CAML project is New Zealand’s largest project for IPY. Post-voyage analysis of the data collected will take place over the next 3 years.CAML contributes to the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CoML), a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans – past, present, and future.
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Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Macromedias Flash Player.Get the latest flash player. CAML Voyage reports A brief overview of the voyage has been published in Antarctic (NZAS) v.26(2) 2008 |
