Antarctic marine ecosystem research at the ice edge zone (AMERIEZ) is a multidisciplinary program. AMERIEZ was started after the National Research Council recommended multidisciplinary research on marine ecosystem in Antarctica. AMERIEZ addressed two major hypotheses. The first hypothesis states that the pack-ice is a major oceanographic feature where enhanced biomass and biological productivity occur. The second hypothesis states that the seasonal dynamics of the marginal ice zone affects the natural history of resident fauna and flora. AMERIEZ completed three cruises in the Weddell Sea during the austral summer 1983, austral autumn 1986, and austral spring 1988. In collaboration with NASA, satellite remote sensing of southern ocean and marginal ice zone provided a circumpolar view of the marine ecosystem. The program has published about 30 scientific papers. This proposal will support a workshop of all AMERIEZ investigators. The purpose is to synthesize new findings with previous results for interdisciplinary papers on marine ice-edge ecosystems.
