"The U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program: NOAA's
Long-term Antarctic Ecological Observation Program"
Dr. Christian Reiss
NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Monday, March 16, 2009
3:30 PM
Room 3200, Research Innovations Building I
Abstract
Recent, observational and modeling studies have indicated that the
dramatic changes occurring in the Southern Ocean are likely the result of
global climate change. These changes include the reduction of the extent
and duration of annual sea-ice, the loss of ice shelves, the warming of
both the deep ocean and the atmosphere, the decline of major prey species
(Antarctic krill) and both range expansion and contraction, and population
changes in some high level predators. Understanding the effects of these
climate induced changes on the ecology of the Southern Ocean will require
long-term observations that are currently very rare in the Antarctic.
Fortunately, the U.S. AMLR Program has conducted integrated ecosystem
research in the Southern Ocean, providing advice for the management of
krill and finfish fisheries in support of NOAA and U.S. treaty obligations
to CCAMLR (the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources), since 1984. Given that these data represent one of the
longest integrated (phytoplankton to whales) studies in the Antarctic,
they represent a rich time series from which to examine the predictions
from other observational and modeling studies in the Antarctic. In this
talk I will provide an overview of some results from long-term ecological
and oceanographic observations and studies conducted by the program, and
how these studies can help inform management to best mitigate the impact
of climate change in this region.
Biography
Christian Reiss is currently a research fishery biologist responsible for
the assessment of krill biomass for the U.S. AMLR Program, since 2004. He
is the chief scientist for an annual 30 to 70 day biological and
oceanographic survey of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. His
research interests include bio-physical studies of the early life history of
fish and krill. He received his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University in
1997. Before joining the U.S. AMLR Program, Dr. Reiss conducted research in
Canada for the Canada-GLOBEC Program, the U.S. east coast at CQFE, and the
California Current Ecosystem, as a NOAA Scientist.
Reception before seminar at 3:00 PM
Research Innovations Building I
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529
757-683-5548
Last updated 02/27/2009.
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Copyright Info: Old Dominion University 2009
