Walsh 9525825 The emphasis of the coupled set of models is on the population dynamics and predator-prey interactions of larval krill over the first year of life. Investigators will explore how climatic changes in ice abundance may impact the recruitment of juveniles to the adult krill stocks. Specifically, they will examine changes in survival rate with respect to the altered composition of the diverse groups of their prey within different scenarios of seasonal ice extent. Of particular significance in this research is the modular approach of the addition of separate existing models of both prey dynamics and circulation to the proposed one of the success of early life history stages of Euphausia superba within open-water and ice nurseries around the Antarctic Peninsula. To construct and validate these models, the extensive data sets of the past RACER, AMERIEZ, and EPOS programs will be utilized.
