9615719 BENGTSON The pack ice region surrounding Antarctica contains at least half of the world's population of seals, with population levels comprising about eighty percent of the world' total piniped biomass. These seals are among the dominant top predators in Southern Ocean ecosystems and the fluctuation in their populations, patterns of growth and life histories provide a potential source of information about environmental variability integrated over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. As top predators, seals are like to be sensitive to changes in the dynamics of ecosystems and , in particular, variations in the flux of photosynthetically fixed carbon to higher levels of the food web caused by either climatic or ecological changes. To assess the functional significance of these seals in Southern Ocean ecosystems, the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, the scientific body which provides advice to the Antarctic Treaty nations, developed a program focused on Antarctic Pack Ice Seals. This workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of scientists to develop research priorities for the US contribution to this international program. In particular, the development of an interdisciplinary cruise plan, will move the US forward in addressing important questions related to pack ice seals and their environment.
