Weddell Sea Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change

Global warming is transforming Antarctica; melting the cryosphere (the ice caps, the glaciers and the sea ice); affecting the Southern Ocean physical dynamics and elemental cycles; and impacting the marine ecosystems and their capacity to absorb the atmospheric CO2 emitted by men. The Southern Ocean is both home to rich ecosystems and a place where atmospheric CO2 is efficiently absorbed by the Ocean. A large part of this atmospheric CO2 is absorbed by phytoplankton and sea-ice algae. The present and future changes in the physical dynamics of the Southern Ocean will play a profound role on the future of marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean. This project aims to lay the foundation of an Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change for the Eastern Weddell Sea / King Haakon VII Sea in the Southern Ocean. In this region of the Southern Ocean, there is increasing evidence of a transition from a period of relatively muted climate change into an era of environmental transformation with significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Until present, however, the marine ecosystem of this region has remained notoriously under-studied. By laying the foundations of systematic ecosystem monitoring, this project will provide a baseline of the present state of biodiversity and ecosystems against which change can be measured and contribute to a number of transnational goals in marine biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

This Biodiversa+ project aims to lay the foundation of a transnational Weddell Sea Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change (WOBEC) for the Eastern Weddell Sea / King Haakon VII Sea (EWS) in the Southern Ocean. The Weddell Sea plays a key role for global ecosystem services, such as climate regulation and food provision, and hosts many species with conservation status. Acknowledging this unique ecological value, the EU and other members of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) are working towards a Marine Protected Area in the Weddell Sea (WSMPA). In the EWS, there is increasing evidence of a transition from a period of relatively muted climate change into an era of environmental transformation with significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Until present, however, the ecosystem of the EWS has remained notoriously under-studied. By laying the foundations of systematic ecosystem monitoring in the EWS, WOBEC will provide a baseline of the present state of biodiversity and ecosystems against which change can be measured and contribute to a number of transnational goals in marine biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the post-global biodiversity framework.