CCAMLR

A proposal for a representative system of MPAs (RSMPA) for eastern Antarctica (CCAMLR Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2) has been developed to satisfy overall the principles of comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR).  The Dumont d’Urville Sea area, including the Mertz Polynya, is one of the areas identified in the proposal (140-150°E from the coast to 60°S). This area has been studied by a number of countries in the CEAMARC surveys (Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census) as part of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life. This report details some of the outcomes of a workshop hosted by France in Brest in late May 2011.  It collates and synthesises available data from the CEAMARC and other studies to provide a detailed ecological picture of this area and to further evaluate this area relative to the CAR principles and relative to its use as a reference area for understanding ecosystem change in the region.
The offshore zone is separated latitudinally by the presence of three fronts separating species assemblages and by the presence of an eddy (62°- 64°S, 138-140°E). Two of the fronts, the Southern Boundary (SB) and the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF) were identified to have a major influence on the biogeography of the pelagic species. The SB is the northern limit of Euphausia superba and the ASF clearly separates most of the neritic species from the oceanic. Vertical segregation of assemblages of pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores, fish and plankton were observed. However, this segregation does not apply on the continental slope as deep pelagic fauna can be upwelled with the Modified Circumpolar Deep Water. These characteristics combined with complex canyon systems indicate the continental slope is a transitional area between the neritic and oceanic zone. It is also important to note that it is on the slope area that two Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems have been identified by CCAMLR. Two large basins are found on the shelf in this area, differing in their physical characteristics and one, the George V Basin, is where the Adélie Land Bottom Water (ALBW) is formed and flows offshore.
Revised physical pelagic and benthic regionalisations of the East Antarctic sector showed 5 predominant cluster types over the shelf and two offshore in the pelagic realm and 9 distinct cluster types over the shelf in the benthic realm. Ecoregions were then defined according to both benthic and pelagic characteristics. They are based primarily on the benthic regionalisation with some of the benthic regions being divided further to take account of the differentiation in the pelagic environment.
The shelf pelagic regionalisation is explained by sea-ice and water masses. Spatial differences in pelagic species assemblages are observed but it varies from year to year. The variability in spatial structure of these assemblages is because of the dominance of Pleuragramma antarcticum and Euphausia crystallorophias. These two species are prey of top predators and control the planktonic production. The Adélie Basin is an important area for seals and penguins of the Pétrels Archipelago when they forage at a short distance from their colonies.
The benthic ecoregions over the shelf clearly separate coastal zones from the deep basins, their upper edge and the banks. Close association between demersal fish and benthic communities was identified. Grounded icebergs and long-term sedimentation patterns play a major role in structuring the bottom seascape. Suspension feeders are abundant on rocky and sandy substrates, while detritus and deposit feeders dominate the muddy basin sediments. The coastal zone is also the place of specific assemblages at least for fish for which some species are mainly coastal.
The workshop held in Brest at the end of May 2011 agreed that the Mertz area will be more likely to satisfy the CAR principles and its use as a reference area by changing the western boundary from 140°E to 136°E and the eastern boundary from 150°E to 148°E.
 

This short note describes a circumpolar, pelagic regionalisation of the Southern Ocean south of 40°S, based on sea surface temperature, depth, and sea ice information. The results show a series of latitudinal bands in open ocean areas, consistent with the oceanic fronts. Around islands and continents, the spatial scale of the patterns is finer, and is driven by variations in depth and sea ice. The results are broadly consistent with the earlier circumpolar results of Grant et al. (2006) and regional results from the Ross Sea (Sharp et al. 2010).This short note describes a circumpolar, pelagic regionalisation of the Southern Ocean south of 40°S, based on sea surface temperature, depth, and sea ice information. The results show a series of latitudinal bands in open ocean areas, consistent with the oceanic fronts. Around islands and continents, the spatial scale of the patterns is finer, and is driven by variations in depth and sea ice. The results are broadly consistent with the earlier circumpolar results of Grant et al. (2006) and regional results from the Ross Sea (Sharp et al. 2010).

The World Summit on Sustainable Development implementation plan requires, by 2012, a representative system of marine protected areas (RSMPA) for the purposes of long-term conservation of marine biodiversity.  A great challenge for meeting this goal, particularly in data-poor regions, is to avoid inadvertant failure while giving science the time and resources to provide better knowledge.  A staged process is needed for identifying areas in data-poor regions that would enable the objectives to be achieved in the long term.  We elaborate a procedure that would satisfy the first stage of identifying a RSMPA, including areas suitable as climate change refugia and as reference areas for monitoring change without direct interference of human activities. The procedure is based on the principles of systematic conservation planning. The first step involves the identification of ecologically-separated provinces along with the physical heterogeneity of habitats within those provinces.  Ecological theory is then used to identify the scale and placement of MPAs, aiming to be the minimum spatial requirements that would satisfy the principles for a representative system: comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR).  We apply the procedure to eastern Antarctica, a region with spatially-restricted sampling of most biota. We use widely available satellite and model data to identify a number of large areas that are likely to encompass important areas for inclusion in a RSMPA.  Three large areas are identified for their pelagic and benthic values as well as their suitability as climate change refugia and reference areas.  Four other areas are identified specifically for their benthic values.  These areas would need to be managed to maintain these values but we would expect them to be refined over time as more knowledge becomes available on the specific location and spatial extent of those values.