Five years of KOPRI Amundsen Project - what we found and where to go

Abstract

The Western Antarctic draws our special attention in recent years, because of the rapid temperature rise. The Amundsen Sea is located at the center of the region, experiencing a record-high loss of ice. KOPRI Amundsen Project is to understand why and how the Western Antarctic warms up, and how the ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles react. Diverse groups for interdisciplinary research from domestic universities as well as foreign organizations participate the program. We have conducted three field expeditions since 2010, and anticipate the 4th in the 2015/2016 season. We plan to expand the study area to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current area to north, and deeper into southwestern corner of the Amundsen Sea, with the reinforcement from international collaborators. This project is the very first and model case of KOPRI's commitment to the Earth observatory international network for long-term monitoring in the Southern Ocean. Included in the presentation is a sampler of the major scientific findings and the future directions. -end