Apseudes heroae Sieg, 1986 (Family Apseudidae) and Allotanais hirsutus (Beddard, 1886) (Family Tanaidae) are common Tanaidacea of the southern Magellanic region. The aim of the investigation is to elucidate the postmarsupial development of these tanaid species that differ in their biogeography. Population structures are analysed from size frequency data and from different postembryonic stages of specimens collected in the Atlantic entrance of the Beagle Channel and from the Atlantic continental slope to the south-east. The population of Apseudes heroae shows three age groups, the one of Allotanais hirsutus probably at least three. Some large specimens indicate that the latter sub-Antarctic species might reach an age of several years. Both species are probably gonochoristic, and protandric hermaphroditism was not observed. The fecundity of Apseudes heroae and Allotanais hirsutus was analysed. No significant correlation could be found between cephalothorax width and egg number or number of larvae. For both species hypothetical life cycles are reconstructed. As sub-Antarctic temperatures are low and seasonality is strong in the Magellanic region, it is possible that these species are reasonably adapted in reproduction as shown in some polar species of Isopoda and Cumacea.

The role of fish in the Antarctic food web in inshore and offshore waters is analysed, taking as an example the coastal marine communities of the southern Scotia Arc (South Orkney Islands and South Shetland Islands) and the west Antarctic Peninsula. Inshore, the ecological role of demersal fish is more important than that of krill. There, demersal fish are major consumers of benthos and also feed on zooplankton (mainly krill in summer). They are links between lower and upper levels of the food web and are common prey of other fish, birds and seals. Offshore, demersal fish depend less on benthos and feed more on zooplankton (mainly krill) and nekton, and are less accessible as prey of birds and seals. There, pelagic fish (especially lantern fish) are more abundant than inshore and play an important role in the energy flow from macrozooplankton to higher trophic levels (seabirds and seals). Through the higher fish predators, energy is transferred to land in the form of fish remains, pellets (birds), regurgitation and faeces (birds and seals). However, in the general context of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, krill (Euphausia superba) plays the central role in the food web because it is the main food source in terms of biomass for most of the high level predators from demersal fish up to whales. This has no obvious equivalent in other marine ecosystems. In Antarctic offshore coastal and oceanic waters the greatest proportion of energy from the ecosystem is transferred to land directly through krill consumers, such as flying birds, penguins, and seals. Beside krill, the populations of fish in the Antarctic Ocean are the second most important element for higher predators, in particular the energy-rich pelagic Myctophidae in open waters and the pelagic Antarctic silver fish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) in the high Antarctic zone. Although the occurrence of these pelagic fish inshore has been poorly documented, their abundance in neritic waters could be higher than previously believed.

One might imagine that the only continent in the world devoted to peace and science would be certain to play a leadership role in global questions that needed a scientific answer. Indeed, to a dispassionate observer, the present situation with respect to reporting on the state of the Antarctic environment must seem bizarre. All the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties are members of the United Nations Environment Programme, and all are apparently committed to providing State of the Environment Reports for their respective regions. Why then have some of these very nations been so reluctant to accept that Antarctica is a key part of this world and, to provide the holistic view required, needs to be included in the reporting? The list of excuses for delay is lengthy: no money; no secretariat to organize through; likely to be too expensive; no clear reason to undertake it; not needed at present; who would be the audience; how would we maintain political oversight; etc. but none of them ever appeared insoluble. This has been clearly demonstrated by the recent publication by New Zealand of a State of the Environment Report for the Ross Sea Region.

In the United States there has been a move afoot to try to stimulate federally funded investigators to explore meaningful ways of communicating their scientific activities through educational outreach programs. The goal is to help improve the quality of mathematics and science education in both early and secondary education. Dr Rita Colwell, the current Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF), feels strongly that the time has come for higher education to do its part to help improve precollege science education, a persistent problem in the United States and many other industrialized countries. After all, institutions of higher education stand to benefit by seeing students enter college with sound fundamental science skills, and the taxpayers, who ultimately fund national science programs, benefit from an economy fuelled by both renewed and improved scientific talent.

Marked spatial autocorrelation was encountered in an extensive data set on Antarctic seal densities as well as Antarctic pack ice characteristics. Whilst the methodology of measuring spatial autocorrelation is well developed, there is no established infrastructure for statistical inference in terms of correlation analysis or ANOVA. We survey the literature that deals with these problems, as well as some of the approaches that have been proposed for taking autocorrelation into account in inferential statistics. We apply these approaches to a data set comprising Antarctic pack ice seal counts as well as a few environmental measures. In contrast to the predictions from the existing literature, nonlinear estimation suggested that Pearson's r substantially overestimates the true correlation between seal densities and environmental variables. When compared to spatially adjusted analysis of variance, conventional ANOVA that compared seal densities or pack ice characteristics in different areas overestimated the degree of difference between these areas in proportion to the degree of spatial autocorrelation of the particular data set. In our case, the effects of spatial autocorrelation were not neutralised by treating entire transects as single points. These results emphasise the need for a methodology that takes spatial autocorrelation into account for interpreting the spatial data on Antarctic seals collected during the Antarctic pack ice seal (APIS) program. New software written for performing these analyses is available from the senior author.

Composition, abundance, and distribution of suprabenthos from a depth between 1 and 1.33 m above the seafloor were analysed. The samples were taken during ANT XV/3 with RV Polarstern in February and March 1998 by means of the supranet of an epibenthic sledge along two transects in the southern Weddell Sea (Vestkapp and Halley Bay) and one east of King George Island. At each of these three transects, five to six stations were taken in water depth between 200 and 2000 m. In total, 34 057 specimens were sampled at 16 stations, yielding 1 205 050 individuals for all stations standardized to 1000 m3 hauls. Of these, copepods were usually the most abundant group in the supranet (805 822 ind 1000 m−3. The suprabenthic fauna of the southwest of Vestkapp (Weddell Sea) transect was dominated by planktonic taxa in terms of individual numbers especially at the deeper stations (938–1983 m). At Halley Bay the total abundance of plankton was lower but its relative abundance (> 80%) was also high, whilst off King George Island peracarid crustaceans were an important fraction.

The goal of this study was to demonstrate the role of isolation on the social behaviour of individuals and to characterize its adaptation as a function of time. The ethological method used was a quantitative description of the spatial positioning of a sub-group of 13 wintering members during the morning, midday and evening meals at Dumont d'Urville station. The observation protocol required the completion of first daily and then weekly (every Thursday) observation maps at different stages of the 13 month long polar mission, from the information seminar in France, the trips outward and return aboard the Astrolabe, the two summer campaigns at the beginning and at the end of the mission and the overwintering period. Results, mainly expressed as human concentration and spatial dispersion indexes, have successively shown organization, disorganization and reorganization periods of the small group without any significant cycling. Socialisation rules promoting the group building in the early period, conflict factors and relay steps (external perturbations breaking the isolation, transitions during group displacement from one stage to another) promoting the maintenance of the social cohesion, are outlined in the discussion.

Lipid content, lipid class and fatty acid composition of four Southern Ocean cephalopod species – the myopsid Sepioteuthis australis and three oegopsids, Gonatus antarcticus, Moroteuthis robsoni and Todarodes spp. – were analysed. The lipid content of the digestive gland was consistently greater than that of the mantle, and was an order of magnitude greater in oegopsid species. The lipid class and fatty acid composition of the mantle and digestive gland also differed markedly in each species. Digestive gland lipid is likely to be of dietary origin, and large amounts of lipid in the digestive gland of oegopsids may accumulate over time. Thus the digestive gland is a rich source of fatty acid dietary tracers and may provide a history of dietary intake. However, the absolute amount of dietary lipid in the digestive gland of oegopsid species exceeds the absolute lipid content of mantle tissue. Therefore the overall lipid “signature” of an oegopsid may more closely resemble its prey species rather than its mantle tissue. When lipid techniques are used in dietary analysis of teuthophagous predators, squid may not be represented by a unique signature in analyses and their importance in the diets of predators may be underestimated.

From 15 December 1992–4 January 1993 aerial surveys of ice seals were undertaken by Puma helicopter across the pack ice off Dronning Maud Land. The 31 transects of 1/2 nautical mile (n.m.) width were flown at an elevation of 200 ft and a ground speed of 60 knots and covered 805.6 n.m.2 of pack ice. The overall species composition of the seals was 97.8% crabeater seals, 1.67% Ross seals, 0.34% leopard seals and 0.15% Weddell seals. The density abundance of seals was 2.47 n.m.−2 for crabeater, 0.01 n.m.−2 for leopard, 0.004 n.m.−2 for Weddell and 0.04 n.m.−2 for Ross seals. Leopard seals were largely found near the outer edge of the pack, Ross seals were absent only in the outer pack, whilst Weddell seals were virtually absent in the pack ice. Present throughout, crabeater seals and Ross seals showed a statistically significant preference for the inner pack, the reasons for this being unclear.

The effect of an intensive sampling programme on an inshore population of Notothenia coriiceps was studied at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, by comparing catch data taken in successive summers of 1992/93 to 1994/95 at one specific zone (site 1) with those taken in the 1994/95 summer at two close but not previously sampled zones (sites 2 and 3). The fish were caught with trammel nets under similar sampling conditions (depth, net measurements, bottom type). In site 1, a decline in length (TL) of the fish was observed throughout the whole period. The fish from sites 2 (mean = 32.4 cm) and 3 (mean = 31.8 cm) exhibited no significant differences in mean length. They were larger (P = 0.07) than those from site 1 caught in the summers of 1994/95 (mean = 28.8 cm) and 1993/94 (mean = 30.2 cm), but were similar in size to those sampled in the summer of 1992/93 (mean = 31.7 cm), just when the sampling programme started in site 1. Although alternative hypotheses to explain the results are discussed (e.g. random error, strong recruitment), it is suggested that the size variations of the fish sampled at site 1 are due to intensive sampling effort carried out throughout this study at that specific zone in Potter Cove.

Hydrocarbon spills have occurred on Antarctic soils where fuel oils are utilized, moved or stored. We investigated the effects of hydrocarbon spills on soil temperature and moisture regimes by comparing the properties of existing oil contaminated sites with those of nearby, uncontaminated, control sites at Scott Base, the old Marble Point camp, and Bull Pass in the Wright Valley. Hydrocarbon levels were elevated in fuel-contaminated samples. Climate stations were installed at all three locations in both contaminated and control sites. In summer at Scott Base and Marble Point the mean weekly maximum near surface (2 cm and 5 cm depth) soil temperatures were warmer (P<0.05), sometimes by more than 10°C, at the contaminated site than the control sites. At Bull Pass there were no statistically significant differences in near-surface soil temperatures between contaminated and control soils. At the Scott Base and Marble Point sites soil albedo was lower, and hydrophobicity was higher, in the contaminated soils than the controls. The higher temperatures at the Scott Base and Marble Point hydrocarbon contaminated sites are attributed to the decreased surface albedo due to soil surface darkening by hydrocarbons. There were no noteworthy differences in moisture retention between contaminated and control sites.

The gut contents of three species of cumaceans: Eudorella splendida, Vaunthompsonia inermis and Campylaspis maculata, and three species of tanaids: Nototanais antarcticus, N. dimorphus and Peraeospinosus pushkini from the shelf of Admiralty Bay and two cumaceans: Diastylis mawsoni and Ekleptostylis debroyeri from the deeper Antarctic shelf were studied. With the exception of Campylaspis maculata, which is a predator or scavenger, and Ekleptostylis debroyeri, whose gut was filled with mud only, detritus was an important diet component of all the species studied. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative components of diatom taxa it can be concluded that the food of Diastylis mawsoni comes from the pelagial, whereas the food of the other peracarids is of benthic origin. Species inhabiting the shallowest waters consume almost exclusively epipelic food, whilst those living below the euphotic zone feed mostly on particles sedimented from the pelagial; taxa occurring at intermediate depths feed on pelagic matter, but also of epiphytic and of epipelic origin.

Non-krill prey remains were recovered from ornithogenic sediments at three active Adélie penguin colonies on Ross Island, to assess long-term dietary trends in this species. Radiocarbon dates place the age of these deposits from a maximum of 947 years ago to the present. We identified 12 taxa of fish and two of squid with the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) as the most abundant prey species represented at all sites. In addition, silverfish have decreased in importance in Adélie penguin diet over the past 600 years, perhaps in response to climate change since the onset of the Little Ice Age, though it remains much more abundant in current penguin diet in the Ross Sea than in the Antarctic Peninsula. Other prey taxa reflect the diversity of prey selection by Adélie penguins in Antarctica.

The water and calorific content of fifteen species of mesopelagic sub-Antarctic fish from Macquarie Island were determined. Mean percent water content was 69–82%. Calorific content was highly variable between species, especially in the Myctophidae, where it ranged between 22.6–59.3 kJ·g−1 dry weight. The water and calorific content varied with size class within a species, with the smallest size classes generally having the lowest water content but highest calorific content. These values will be useful for future assessment of energetic transfer between trophic levels and energetic modelling of Southern Ocean ecosystems.

This study is the first to describe the winter distribution of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus) in East Antarctica. The study was conducted in the Mertz Glacier Polynya region from July to August 1999. In total 89 crabeater seals were seen in 26 groups which ranged in size from 1 to 35 animals (mean = 3.2). The mean observed haulout density along a 200 m wide strip transect was 0.108 seals per km2, or 0.042 groups per km2. Crabeater seals were not uniformly distributed in the polynya but selected areas of stable ice over shallow (< 1000 m) waters. We used a generalized linear model to assess the relationship of seal distribution to the physical attributes of sea ice concentration, thickness, and ocean depth. We found that ice thickness and ocean depth were the most important determinants of seal distribution. Crabeater seals occurred in areas where the ice affords them a stable haulout platform while allowing them access to Antarctic krill that live directly beneath the ice.

The scavenging megafauna of the South Georgia and Shag Rocks slope in the south-west Atlantic (625–1519 m) were investigated using autonomous baited camera systems. Two surveys were conducted: the first in 1997 (13 deployments) used a conventional 35 mm stills camera with a 200 J flash, whilst the second in 2000 (15 deployments) used low-light digital video cameras. The scavenging community responded rapidly to the arrival of bait on the sea floor and was dominated by stone crabs (Lithodidae) and toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides). Stone crabs took up residence around the bait until it was consumed, with a maximum number of 108 in the field of view after four hours. The most frequently observed crab species was Paralomis formosa. Paralomis spinosissima, Neolithodes diomedea and Lithodes sp., were also observed. Toothfish were the most frequently observed scavenging fish and were seen during all but one deployment, typically making brief visits (1–2 min) to the bait, but appeared startled by the flash in the 1997 survey. Labriform swimming (sculling with the pectoral fins) was the principal form of locomotion in toothfish (0.22 body lengths (BL) sec−1), but they were capable of more rapid sub-carangiform (using caudal trunk and fin) motion (3 BL sec−1) when startled. Other scavenging fish observed included the blue-hake Antimora rostrata, grenadiers (Macrourus spp.), skates, liparids and zoarcids.

The oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of waters in a small valley at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, were monitored over three summers (1999 to 2001). These stable isotopes track water movement through the catchment, especially seasonal precipitation and snow melt. All samples fall close to the regional meteoric water line but factors other than air temperature cause year-to-year variability. Residence times are in the order of days thus the lake water provides an average of precipitation falling only a few days before, except in the winter when the lakes are effectively closed. Freezing of surface waters preserves the isotope signature of the underlying waters from the previous summer. In spring, meltwaters from winter snow are isotopically depleted having δ18O and δD as low as -13‰ and -100‰ (VSMOW). Ice- cover break-up in late December allows complete water column mixing. By February, the lakes are relatively enriched isotopically (δ18O -9‰) by summer precipitation. Precipitation isotopic composition at Halley Station, Brunt Ice Shelf, is similar, illustrating the broad-scale effects of the Weddell Sea cyclonic atmospheric circulation. These data form a useful reference data-set for the ground-based validation of atmospheric models and palaeoclimate reconstructions in this isolated sector of the South Atlantic Ocean.

The summer of 1997 was characterized by unusually large amounts of pack ice in the southeastern Weddell Sea, and less than 10% of the area that is commonly ice-free in summer was open. A modest phytoplankton bloom developed in the upper mixed layer in the northernmost area (72°S). The bloom peaked in mid-February with max chlorophyll concentrations of 1.5 μg l−1, and integrated stocks of 55–60 mg m−2. Autotrophic flagellates dominated the biomass (80–90% of the chlorophyll) at first, while diatoms increased relative to flagellates during the bloom. Nutrient deficits, however, indicated that a much larger biomass was produced than was observed. Freezing starting after mid-February probably terminated the bloom, resulting in a pelagic growth season limited in time (less than two months) and space. The sea ice had a distinct brown layer of algae, usually at 1–2 m depth, with average chlorophyll biomass of 10.3 mg m−2. The ice cover exhibited a substantial amount of ridges, with ice algae growing in cavities and other structures, but with lower biomass than in the bands. Ice algae were also found growing on the lower 2 m of the ice shelf (visible at low tide). The overall growth season in the ice lasted several months, and ice algal production may have exceeded pelagic production in the Weddell Sea during the growth season of 1997. Pennate diatoms, like Fragilariopsis curta and F. cylindrus, dominated both in ice and in open water above the pycnocline, while Phaeocystis antarctica dominated in deeper layers and in crack pools. Euphausiids, particularly young stages, were frequently observed grazing on ice algae in ridges and on all sides of the floes, (confirmed by the gut content). Ice algae would thus have served as an ample food supply for the krill in the summer of 1997.

Early stages of toothfish are reported from cruises between 1978 and 2001. South Georgia was regularly sampled, Shag Rocks was briefly sampled in three summers, and Burdwood Bank was sampled in 1997. Most samples were using 8 m2 and 1 m2 nets in the upper 250 m and upper 3 m, respectively. Forty-three pelagic larval/early juvenile stages between 18.2 and 63 mm standard length (Ls) were taken between December and March. Four specimens were taken at Burdwood Bank, one at Shag Rocks, and 38 at South Georgia. Forty fish were from the upper 250 m, and 23 from the upper 3 m. They occurred onshelf and offshore over water depths between 10 and 3000 m. Estimated growth rate, at South Georgia from 11 cohorts (including published data), is c. 1% Ls, d−1 (n = 39). From this and a hatch size of 15 mm Ls, the predicted hatching season is November to mid-December. From seven trawl surveys during summer at South Georgia and Shag Rocks between 1986 and 2000, the mean depth of the smaller demersal juveniles 13–25 cm total length (LT) was < 140 m, indicating that early juveniles probably migrate inshore.

Twenty-three juvenile (8–14 months of age) southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina L.) from Macquarie Island were tracked during 1993 and 1995. Migratory tracks and ocean areas with concentrated activity, presumed to be foraging grounds, were established from location data gathered by attached geolocation-time depth recorders. The seals ranged widely (811–3258 km) and foraging activity centred on oceanographic frontal systems, especially the Antarctic Polar Front and bathymetric features such as the Campbell Plateau region. The seals spent 58.6% of their sea time within managed fishery areas while the remainder was spent on the high seas, an area of unregulated fishing. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) areas 58.4.1, 88.2 and especially 88.1 were important and distant foraging areas for these juvenile elephant seals. From fisheries records, diet and the foraging ecology studies of the seals there appears to be little, if any, overlap or conflict between the seals and commercial fishing operations within the regulated commercial areas. However, attention is drawn to the possibility of future interactions if Southern Ocean fisheries expand or new ones commence.