The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Program (GLOBEC) seeks to understand how climate variability affects the distribution, abundance, production and population dynamics of zooplankton and fish in the sea. The approach is to develop a fundamental understanding of how physical and biological processes interact to control the population dynamics of marine animals, with a focus on those animals that spend all or some of their lives as plankton. Through several key international meetings, the scientific community developed the intellectual themes for the Southern Ocean GLOBEC program. The program has been developed with a focus on Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, as the primary target species. The focus on krill includes the habitat, prey, predators and competitors of this species. There will be a year-round field program, with a particular emphasis on winter processes. Two research sites were selected by the international community; the US will focus its efforts in the Antarctic Peninsula area. This workshop will bring together US scientists to focus the broader scientific issues into an implementation plan. Participants will include polar and non-polar scientists and will produce a web-based report that will be made available to the broader scientific community.
