Antarctica-Research on Ocean-Atmosphere Variability and Ecosystem Response in Ross Sea   (ROAVERRS) 

The ROAVERRS project (Research on Ocean Atmosphere Variability and Ecosystem Response in the Ross Sea) is a multi-institutional, cross-disciplinary endeavor to examine the atmospheric and environmental interactions that influence biological populations in Ross Sea, Antarctica. The benthic ecology group at MBARI participated in this project by examining the effects of atmospheric variation on benthic communities in the Ross Sea.

Research

Primary productivity is critical in harsh environments.  One of the goals of the ROAVERRS project was to determine how ice cover and the development of polynyas play a critical role in the productivity of polar marine communities.  The benthic ecology research team is interested the role of spatial and temporal variation in the vertical and horizontal flux of organic material (linked to surface productivity) in regulating the structure of productivity in the SW Ross Sea.

Slide Shows

The ROAVERRS Project (40MB)

Facts and Photos

	Scenes from Antarctica
	Research Methods
	MBARI Research Team
	ROAVERRS Megafaunal and macrofaunal data

ROAVERRS Collaborators 

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