Mesoscale regionalisation of the western Antarctic Peninsula

As part of the One Ocean Expedition onboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, scientists from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Norway met for 10 days to discuss the Southern Ocean Action Plan (SOAP) in the context of the southern Scotia Arc and western Antarctic Peninsula. This geographical region represents an area of strong research and commercial interests for all the participating nationalities, and key questions from the SOAP were applied through this regional lens. The physical, ecological and anthropological complexity of the region coupled with the rapid and ongoing changes driven primarily by climate change mean that a “one management strategy fits all” approach is unlikely to be appropriate. It was agreed that a more ecologically realistic regionalisation is a necessary first step in understanding the distribution of threats, their impacts and how they are likely to change over time. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group agreed that there was sufficient scientific literature and motivation to write a peer-reviewed article outlining a putative bioregionalisation of the southern Scotia Arc and western Antarctic Peninsula, and such an article could be used as a reference point for future scientific collaborations and research proposal development.